Jet Black Phoenix
by Zoram Selrof
Summary: Sequel to The Crimson Lobby. It's been a few weeks since the Crimson Lobby was brought down: summer is about to begin but the mood feels spoiled by the threat and enigma of the "ghost server" owner. To top it off, some Net Navis with new and improved abilities will be challenging all major player. And the "ghost" might be more than anyone expects... Rated M for lemon.
1. Chapter 1: Light & feathers

**Jet Black Phoneix**

**By Zoram Selrof**

**Chapter 1: Light & feathers**

09:32 AM (Japan Time), Saturday June the 25th, 2012…

"… Yo! Guys! I've got IT! IT!"

"What's this fuss about? Dekao."

"I'm sure it's another scam by Bubble Man, anyway."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Heh, heh, heh! Netto! Saito! Tooru! Just you watch… With this… I'll be the King Upon The Hill!"

"Sheesh."

Hikari Netto, his brother Saito and their classmate Hikawa Tooru (all aged 16) had been sitting in a bench within the Akihara City playground next to the jungle gym and chatting when Ooyama Dekao rushed in, grinning, boasting and holding a cardboard box with something inside: they looked annoyed and exasperated at his interruption.

"And I'll win Meiru – chan's heart!"

"Oh yeah?" Netto (wearing his usual attire of orange sleeveless vest, t-shirt and shorts) skeptically asked.

"I'm SKEPTICAL." Saito (wearing identical to Netto but having a blue jumper instead) grumbled.

"Totally." Hikawa (who wore an open light navy blue jacket, a grey t-shirt and jeans) muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh. Yaito – chan told me so~!"

"I knew it. Only Yaito would think of something so LAME." Netto sighed.

"Sheesh. That girl…!" Saito groaned.

"Ta-dan! Ultimate Perfume For All Macho Guys!"

Dekao drew a non-labeled spray can which seemed to be big enough to hold half a liter of something and showed it to them while grinning: someone approached from behind and picked the can from his right hand to his surprise.

"So? What's this farce about?"

"Yikes! Meiru – chan!"

Sakurai Meiru (wearing her usual blue vest, jeans and white sneakers) had shown up there and was looking at the spray can with a bored and totally uninterested look: she shook it a bit and frowned: she aimed at the ground and pressed the button but nothing came out: she then removed the plastic cover and found a small cut about 5 cm wide in the west side of the upper metallic disc.

"It's empty. You got trolled." She drily announced.

"No way~!" He yelled.

"Guts, guts?" Guts Man wondered.

"Desu… I saw it coming, desu…" Ice Man sighed.

"Really… Yaito – san…!" Roll muttered with some annoyance.

"Tee, heh, heh! Did someone call for THE heiress?"

Ayanokouji Yaito (wearing her usual red dress) stepped in while giggling: everyone save Dekao sighed in defeat while Dekao had a twitch over his right eye.

"Yaito – chan! Ya tricked me!"

"All's fair in love, Ookarada~!"

"OOYAMA~!" He growled.

"He Who Fell From His Throne Because Of A Ghostly Hand!"

"That was a hologram!" He grumbled.

"Sheesh. And here I thought he'd forgotten the whole fuss of last year's summer…" Netto grumbled.

"Speaking of fuss… Ever since those "Crimson Lobby" guys got dismantled… Has Kage - kun said if they found out more about the so-called "ghost"?" Saito asked Netto.

"Miquel? He said they were still lacking clues. When trying to pose as customers for the server… Legato tried tracking the money but it suddenly broke down in multiple packages, some self-deleted, others merged, others split, others encoded on their own… And they went off in all directions… One group ended up in a random server in Djakarta and self-deleted… Other Navis tried chasing the groups too and got to intercept them yet…" Netto began to explain.

"…stupid sexist jokes which…!" Meiru was scolding Yaito in the background in the meanwhile.

"…prove I'm a GENIUS!" Yaito laughed.

"I'm off. I feel depressed…" Dekao sighed and apparently left.

"They were dummy packages?" Hikawa assumed from Netto's description of the happenings.

"Totally. There was not a single cent of the money stuffed there: it took 8 Navis and they got nowhere at all. Later analysis suggests that the "true" packages used DSL lines instead of optical fiber lines and thus went by undetected." Netto explained.

"…French gal who will grant ya some fresh watermelons…" Yaito was teasing Meiru in the meanwhile.

"Don't. Need. Those." She hissed back.

"Cha pink maid needs 'em?"

"Pink MAID? ME? I'm just Meiru – chan's friend!" Roll protested.

"How about we continue this chat elsewhere?" Saito suggested.

"Yeah. Let's leave the girls to settle it their way."

The 3 guys walked away from the playground while Meiru and Roll kept on discussing with Glyde: they reached a square and sat on a bench there: there were several stands which sold a variety of things.

"And so?" Hikawa asked next.

"They're stuck." Netto summed up.

"Lovely." He sighed.

"Yeah. The "ghost server" is too dangerous to let it lie around for much longer… One day a bunch of terrorists will buy its contents, revive a lot of hi-level evil Navis, and chaos will ensue in countries where their Cyber World defenses are low or antiquated." Saito grumbled.

"What a panorama." Hikawa sighed.

"And Dullahan is in the club, too. As if things weren't bad enough: if he was so hard to chew years ago I dunno how harder to chew the "ghost" will turn him into." Netto fumed.

"Even though we all managed to clear the 4th grade's final exams a couple weeks ago… This summer doesn't look too bright. And it's just begun! How much bitter can it turn in one month's time?" Hikawa sighed.

"Maybe that's another thing the "ghost" is aiming for: to lower our morale… And maybe hopes for us to lower the guard… And to deliver a blow from an unexpected direction…"

"Those "Sisterhood of Pureness" girls of last summer…" Hikawa began.

"Nothing has been found which might link them with the "ghost". I think that the "ghost" was bidding his or her time yet and didn't want to make a move yet." Saito replied.

"Hum. They're still in prison, right?"

"Yeah. The whole of them. Well, whole… The 8 of them, I mean."

"Serves them well…" Hikawa icily muttered.

"Anger leads to nowhere." Saito warned.

"Huh. True. Huff. It's just that… Between the heat, the "ghost" and Yaito – chan's idiocies… I feel SO exasperated…"

"Join the club." Netto ironically suggested.

"I'm already on it, anyway." He ironically replied.

"Guess it's a result of growing up… You get to realize how sour reality is like and your child-like enthusiasm is gradually eroded… I still recall how, some years ago, I used to read _Asterix_ comics to have fun… I still find them funny but I don't laugh as much as I did…" Saito muttered.

"Speaking of comics… Do you know the title for the next M &F radio broadcast by the V – B – N trio?" Hikawa brought up.

"Yeah. "Los Bomberos"… "The Bombers"… But the title is a pun 'cause "bombero" is "firefighter" in Spanish…"

"So the pun is that you might think the album is about a berserk band of firefighters when they're actually terrorists who place bombs… There's Konami's "Bomber Man" games, right?" Hikawa recalled.

"Oh yeah. I played that when I was on 4th grade. It was popular. And I find it ironic that one of the WWW's Navis was named Bomber Man." Netto commented while making a weak grin.

"Eh… Tooru – kun, desu? A mail came from "RF", desu… It says "ya gotta feel the scorching heat brought upon by the GREAT ME!"…"

"Lovely. Shunoros' Raging Flame joined the troll club too." Netto fumed.

"Sheesh. What's Prince Kuroban doing to keep them in line?" Saito grumbled.

"Guess he's boiling his brains. No insult intended, but…"

"I know. Know what? Let's go to the city gym pool: it shouldn't be so crowded yet."

"Good idea. It'll do wonders."

"Let's get there."

09:54 AM (Japan Time)…

"… My fellows enchanted by Uncle Merton!"

"Oh heck."

"Obihiro – kun! Did you find out Number 649?"

"And what if I have, sir?"

"Meijin – kun! Did you fan-girl club drop by with the 9:09 AM Dublin Express?"

"No, sir…!"

"Punk! Did you go fight your newest rival?"

"Huh? Who?"

"Illuminate us. Sir."

"Ijuuin – kun: dry coffee makes you dry, did you know it?"

"… I fail to see the point, Enzan – sama."

"There isn't, Blues."

"Crap."

Superintendent Oda of the Net Police Cyber CID stepped into the main office room where Obihiro Shun, Meijin and Ijuuin Enzan were gathered at along with their Navis, Punk and Blues: they all sighed in defeat when Oda came in with his "troll mode" on.

"Beware! A suspicious fellow is going to the track and is going to do something sneaky with a chickpea cake!"

"Is that another M&F gag?" Enzan sighed.

"Part of it, my dear Watson."

"Lovely." Meijin sighed.

"Oi. _Danna_. Whom did ya mean a while ago?" Punk asked in a confused manner.

"Oh my. Miss Homika."

"I knew it." Obihiro groaned.

"Who?"

"The new Gym Leader for _Black 2 _and _White 2_… She's a punk rock band guitarist and uses Poison PKMN…" Obihiro sighed.

"Sheesh." Punk grumbled.

"I suspect Eisei's meddling." Enzan grumbled.

"Not really! Raging Flame's meddling! Raging!" A voice rang out through a speaker nearby.

"Shit." Blues growled.

"You can't find me, Blues! I'm not in the building! I'm remotely hijacking this sparkling and crackling and rattling speaker!"

"Sparkling, crackling and rattling? SHEESH!" Meijin groaned.

"Hum! A disciple of Uncle Moriarty, indeed." Oda merely sipped some coffee out of a plastic cup.

"Obihiro! I know it all!"

"What! What do you know?"

"That ya are an admirer of Homika! That's what I know!"

"I'm playing the game! That's why I knew about her! What's so wrong about it?" He shot back.

"Dunno. Ask someone and no – one."

"The madness…!"

"…which will DEVOUR ya! NYAH, HAH, HAH!" He laughed at his poorly improvised motto.

"I am afraid that you are being a bother." Someone announced.

"Who…? Ya look like come out of some Middle East tale…"

"Ah. It would seem this generation lacks knowledge."

"HUH? Whaddya mean? Whoever ya are?"

"That voice…!" Enzan gasped.

"Huh? Who? A fan of yours, hound of Densan – ville?" Raging Flame taunted while trying to hide his nervousness.

"Who knows? Boil your brains."

"Wha~t? This dual-punk!"

"I would rather prefer if you did not ignore me. I would rather suggest to you that you go back to your headquarters. I shall not allow you to toy with their morale. Especially now…" The voice insisted.

"Shaddup, woman."

"I am a man."

"Wha? Then why do ya speak like a woman?" Raging Flame grumbled at his opponent.

"It is called being polite, foolish young one." The interlocutor replied in a calm tone of voice.

"HUH? Did ya call me a fool? Ya are asking for it, this cosplay rascal! I'll let ya know my power! Witness!"

A holographic screen suddenly formed in the middle of the air within the room and displayed the inside of a Cyber World somewhere where a Navi was at.

This Navi had a helmet on which only protected the front and sides of his head given how his hair freely flew out from behind him: transparent red shades covered his eyes which had brown irises.

The helmet's forehead included a large metallic horn and two yellow shapes near the outer edges shaped like the Alphabet "M" character which were glowing with a brightness-changing yellowish light: one moment it glowed strongly the other it glowed in a faint manner.

There was a metallic edge running across the forehead and along the length of the sides together with the ear-pads.

The ear-pads had the drawing of the "honoo" or "Flame" _kanji_ in orange color against a black background.

His chest armor appeared to be pretty thick stuff and had four diagonal-oriented grayish diamonds built into it: the Alphabet letters "RF" colored yellow had been drawn on the center.

The shoulder armor was thick as well: there was a round yellowish band circling the shoulder joint and from there reddish armor extended to protect the whole shoulder: it ended with three short metallic claws set on the edge of a valley-like opening.

There was a bit of exposed arm covered by black "skin" before the forearms' armor (starting at the elbows) began: the forearms' armor started with a circle protecting the elbow and a metallic diamond-shaped piece set over the upper edge of it while aiming upwards.

The rest of the forearm and hand were protected by a layer of armor in the form of a cylinder's upper half with two brownish plates set over it.

It also had a small brownish dot on the left side of the armor which looked like decoration.

A small crevice split the set into two parts: the aforementioned part and a more simplistic running across the reverse of the forearm and wrist: his hands were covered in black "skin" as well.

Regarding the rest of his upper body and legs, it was enough to say that they were covered in black "skin" and that some brownish diamonds were set in a column running down the sides of the body until where the large boots began, at around the knees.

The boots were thick and big as well and they began at the knee: a metallic hexagon was set on the upper edge and its upper half served as additional protection for the legs: their dominant color was, of course, a fierce bright red color: another two hexagons were stacked below the upper edge along with two small diamonds.

These two small diamonds extended from the second hexagon's SW and SE corners.

A thin black line travelled from the ankle to the start of the fingers before drawing an arch and forming a small black cavity from which a metallic triangle emerged and pointed northwards: there was another one large in size and colored in a dull orange color immediately below and the rest of the boots were the double-thickness soils formed by two large curved-edged triangles.

He could be over a meter and seventy tall and, from the face, a teenager about Enzan's age.

"Hra~h! Raging Magma~!"

He built up energy on his weapon and shot a stream of red-hot magma to the off-screen opponent: there was a sound of something fluttering in the air and the attack suddenly curved to be returned to Raging Flame, hitting his chest fully and propelling him off-screen: he growled.

"Fuck. Heat Missile!"

A missile was shot next and it impacted against something but a Sonic Boom was shot as a counterattack and it hit him again: he groaned and coughed.

"Fuck! Break Count Bomb! 3 seconds! EAT THIS!"

Raging Flame flung a tall black cylindrical device off-screen but it was bombarded by something which produced countless flashes and it exploded followed by a counter Sonic Boom: Raging Flame howled and there was a sound before it all became quiet and the screen shut down: everyone was surprised.

"I shall be coming… on another occasion." The voice calmly announced.

"That person…!" Obihiro muttered with awe.

"Whoa." Enzan muttered.

"This looks promising." Blues made a smug smile, for once.

10:20 AM (Japan Time)…

"… No luck either! This package was full of dummy data. And guess what it was, Zarashe - kun?"

"Illuminate me, Beta X."

"An MP3 file… _Ich Spoke Zarathrustra… Thus Spoke Zarathrusta_…"

"Wasn't that that composition by Richard Strauss which…?"

"…was used as the opening piece for _2001: A Space Odyssey_? Yeah."

"So our "ghost" has _taste_."

"In essence."

"You want to know the taste of a ghost? How about I turn you lowlifes into ghosts so you can test it out? Mwah, hah, hah."

"Who goes there? Dullahan?"

"Dullahan? Ah. You mean the bulky guy."

"So you're not Dullahan. Who are you supposed to be?"

"One of Jet – Black Phoenix…!"

"Jet – Black Phoenix…? The "ghost" built his Navi gang now?"

"Huff. We should've seen it coming: after what happened some weeks ago…"

A Net Navi was standing in a corner of the Reverse Internet and muttering aloud while speaking with his Operator through a radio link: some distance below and to the SW one could seen the remains of Pharaoh Man's pyramid.

This Navi, Beta X, used black as his body's main color: he had a white piece of armor set over the chest which contained a ruby jewel and two wing-like extensions spreading across the torso until the shoulders: the golden-colored Alphabet "X" character was set within a piece of armor located over the upper edge of the ruby.

His eyes' irises were blood red in coloring but they lacked pupils: his facial expression denoted seriousness.

His helmet's main color was black as well yet he had some blue pieces of armor built around the edges of it and across the middle of the helmet: the ruby had been set directly above his nose and was aiming downwards along his helmet's front part.

The helmet included five extensions shaped like wings and colored white plus a golden edge: two formed on the lower edge of the helmet, another two formed at a height over the eyes and the last one sprouted from the middle of his helmet while aiming upwards.

A golden edge surrounded his neck and formed a small collar-like object around it: his shoulders had white armor over them.

Three thin spear-like extensions formed behind them.

These gave off the impression of a wing as well: the uppermost piece was golden in coloring while the other two pieces were white.

His arms' skin was black until the elbow: white armor encompassed it and extended until the hands and fingers: a golden ring served as additional protection for the wrists.

The rest of his upper body had no decoration whatsoever until the hips, where the leg armor began at: a golden edge in the shape of a triangle marked the start of it.

The remainder of the legs' armor was painted using white color palette: the knees had extra armor over them and two small and short wing-like extensions.

Golden pieces of armor showed up over the ankles yet there was a space between them and the legs: they were bent upwards to form a triangle and included the wing shapes on their edges.

Lastly, his feet's armor included two pieces of outer edge and another two pieces which were separated by a slight space between the front and the rear of them.

Overall, his appearance was reminiscent of a "fallen angel" given the color motifs and all the winged extensions.

He could be about the same height and age of Raging Flame.

"I'm a "ghost" from the past! Now become a "phoenix" of the "obscurity" which shall revive countless times! A Jet – Black Phoenix! How about you suffer endless and continuous pain before dropping into Hell? Satan's waiting for you lowlifes…" The voice taunted.

"Just show your ugly hide already."

"Mwah, hah, hah. You'll regret taking me lightly soon enough… in the Beyond! Hrah! Hah! Hya~h!"

"What the heck?" Beta X looked skeptical.

Out of nowhere and, without warning, bolts of electricity colored in a bright golden color coiled around Beta X's arms, legs, torso and neck: they glowed brighter and, in the next instant, electricity assaulted Beta X: he growled and his armor quickly switched to green color: the electricity began to repelled and dispersed around the area: Beta X dropped on his fours, panting.

"W-where did that come out from? It didn't show up in the proximity sensors!" Zarashe, the Operator, was baffled.

"Hell if I… know!" Beta X growled.

"I told you lowlifes not to take me lightly. Starting to regret it?" The voice mocked them.

"Wait a min, cha! Electrical, ghost of the past… Elec Man?" Beta X tried to guess.

"Close! Elec wasn't ready for a sortie yet. But I am!"

"So that means that you're…" Zarashe guessed.

"Say it aloud if you've got the damned GUTS!" He taunted.

"Sheesh! Fine! You're Flash Man!"

Flash Man dropped from above while leaning both hands against his torso and looking down (literally) on Beta X.

"How the mighty have fallen! One mere attack and you're already kissing the ground, huh? I'll admit that I forgot about your mode-switching ability and I didn't think you'd set your body to the same polarity as my attacks to repel it… But I won't commit the same mistake twice!" He proclaimed next.

"Oh yeah, punk? How about this? Program Advance! Corn Party!"

"What! Damn it! Cache PAs…! Ugro~h!"

Beta X suddenly formed the Corn Party Program Advance on his right forearm and shot it at Flash Man, catching him off-guard: Beta X got to his feet and drew a Long Blade which had a golden diamond-shaped emblem on the hilt: he rushed for Flash Man and plunged it through his right side of the chest: the sword suddenly shattered and Flash Man formed two white spheres of electricity on his hands.

"Neon Light!"

He shot both of them at Beta X but they got repelled by his armor: Flash Man growled and jumped to put some distance between them: Beta X drew his default buster weapon (which had a fin-like shape forming mid-way through its length: a golden edge ran up the right edge of the buster as well) and shot a Charge Shot colored blue: it impacted Flash Man's right shoulder and got bounced off: Flash Man chuckled.

"Damn it. The jerk has some kind of energy field which repels most types of attacks. Swords won't do, and normal attacks won't either so I guess we're left with elemental weakness." He muttered.

"It's worth a try. The Corn Party worked but that might be because he forgot to turn it on." Zarashe whispered.

"Asking your ever-precious Uncle Moran for advice~?" Flash Man tried to taunt.

"And what if." Beta X drily and dully replied.

"Sheesh. That uninterested face makes me feel annoyed… I'll bury you lowlife right here and now! Shining Grand Crusher!"

Flash Man built up energy and shot eight streams of white energy towards Beta X's chest but he merely snickered and seemed to be hit by them: a bright white flash ensued and Flash Man laughed.

"Weak! Weak! The weak die! The strong survive! And evolve!"

"Grass Stage, Corn Party! Go~!"

"What! MUGRO~H!"

"Hah! Cha fell for the oldest trick in the book, gramps!"

Beta X suddenly showed up behind Flash Man and hit his unshielded back to deliver heavy damage and taking profit of the power-up provided by the Grass Stage: Flash Man howled and collapsed on his knees: Beta X aimed his Long Blade at his neck from behind: Flash Man glared over his right shoulder.

"Shit. _Kawarimi_! And here I wanted to prove to those rascals how battles are fought like: and that you lot are nothing to be afraid of…! I'll be back and I'll come to HAUNT you! Jet Black Phoenix!"

Some black-tinted fog formed out of nowhere and began to wrap Flash Man while gaining thickness and mass: a screech rang out and the shape of a large blackish phoenix with ruby red stains for eyes formed surrounded by golden flames: a tornado ensued and countless blackish feathers spread around the area: Beta X instinctively shielded himself by crossing his arms in the shape of an "X".

"Whoa!"

Silence ensued and Beta X opened his eyes: there was no trace of Flash Man anywhere nearby.

"That phoenix thing emitted one hell of a noise burst and it messed up with the whole sensors and our radio band too!" Zarashe growled.

"So they use that to disable any tracking attempts…"

"Looks like it…"

Zarashe opened his window to display that he had black messy hair and had sunglasses on: he could be around 16 or above too.

"Boo."

"Whoa! Who…?"

The camera shook for a second or two and another face showed up onscreen: it was a guy on his late teens or early 20s.

His hair had been dyed fire red and his eyes' irises were brown: he looked smug.

"Raging Flame~!" He laughed.

"What! The devil! How did you know I was here, in this abandoned video club?" Zarashe demanded as the camera focused on him again.

"Heh, heh, heh. Call me Netsuhonoo."

"So that's your real name, huh? Fine!"

"And to answer cha question… I caught an odd electrical signature, thought it might be Eisei, and it turned out to be that gramps. Who should've stayed 6 feet under, did ya know?" He laughed.

"How original." Beta X grumbled.

"By the way: be ready to meet your old buddy one day." Zarashe warned to Netsuhonoo.

"Who, Dully – chan?" He laughed.

"Sheesh." He grumbled.

"By the way! Did ya know?"

"What now."

"Ya have a number one hater!"

"Who, End Angel? I don't think the guy "hates" us: the guy's a rival."

"No rival can beat the might of the almighty… GREEN – SAMA~!"

"Sheesh. You a first-gen too?"

"Oh no! It's simply that the guy ROCKS and ROLLS!"

"What a lame pun."

"Beware! The oven is about to cook up some bombs!"

"I fail to see the point. If there's ANY." Zarashe fumed.

"Let's go and leave that guy alone." Beta X told Zarashe.

"Yeah. Let's. By the way! Blue Wave cheats at Duel Monsters. He's like Pandora, did ya know?"

"What! Umisama! You rascal!"

"And there goes the guy… That trick never fails to work. I didn't intend to do this as a blunder to Prince Kuroban but it's a test of their "unity" so maybe…" Zarashe muttered.

"Yeah. I know."

Beta X exited the Cyber World and appeared in the real world next to Zarashe: he sported a navy blue coat which was open, a sleeveless navy blue t-shirt, jeans and white sneakers.

Beta X could be about 5 inches taller than him.

"Don't forget to switch to civilian outfit."

"Roger."

Beta X's armor broke down into data clusters and clothes formed over him: they were a short-sleeved reddish shirt, brownish shorts, white socks and white sneakers.

"Let's make our way back and…" Zarashe began instructing as he headed for the locale's exit.

"Not so fast! You tried to fool me into starting kin-strife but I'm not fooled so easily~!"

Netsuhonoo ran back in: his choice of clothes were a red opened sleeveless vest over a black t-shirt with the drawing of a crimson or scarlet – colored flame on its center surrounded by spiraling smoke trails: his jeans were plain and normal and his socks were simple black wool ones: his sneakers' color was white.

"Ya don't learn the lesson?" Zarashe sighed.

"Look. The "Foreigner" is coming."

"Who?" Netsuhonoo frowned.

He turned around to look but Beta X took the chance to use a Blinder Battle Chip and momentarily blind him as both ran outta the store and into the street: they hid in a side-alley very close by and spotted Netsuhonoo running out of the store and growling.

"As long as I'm named Netsuhonoo Robin then I'm not gonna give it up so easily~! Show your hides! I won't lose to a fisting showdown! You Uncle Moran rejected disciples!"

"How terribly original." Beta X drily muttered.

"Oi. Beta… The irises…" Zarashe whispered.

"Ah yeah. My bad."

He closed his eyes and opened them again to reveal that he'd changed their color to green.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" Someone chuckled through Netsuhonoo's PET (colored red and orange and having his emblem) as he held it on his right hand.

"Sieg! You lil rascal! What's so damned funny?"

"Yo! _Danna_. Don't get annoyed, man. It's just that I was amused at how they brought up the game with Ganon's predecessor's twin bro on it."

"What the heck?"

"Sheesh. Not like I did it because of that…" Beta X grumbled.

"It's the _Last Story_, man! Zangurg VS Shuuen no Mono! Result? A brotherly hug! Nyah, hah, hah, hah!"

"How INNOVATIVE of YOU." Netsuhonoo growled.

"Heh, heh, heh. _No pain no gain_! _Danna – sama_~!"

"Is Eisei there?"

"Nope~… He went off to tease our Indiana wool fellow." The guy named Sieg chuckled.

"HUH? Ah! You mean Tomahawk Man's Operator, Dingo…" Netsuhonoo realized.

"The last thing we needed… Why does Eisei see the need to stir up trouble at the Ameroupe Army Base…?" Zarashe grumbled.

"Dunno." Beta X grumbled.

"Hey! Sieg! I'm wasting my time here! Shit! They must MILES away by now…! Sheesh! I'm going back there… And I'm so gonna TALK with you about getting in my WAY!"

"Heh, heh, heh…"

"You two. Quit the kin-strife. Or do I need to get annoyed?" A more mature voice rang out with a slight hint of a foreign accent.

"YIKES! P-P-Prince, sir! R-roger, sir!"

"Whoa! R-roger, Prince!"

"About time." Zarashe muttered.

"Aren't you adult enough to handle on your own? Or do I need to be constantly BABYSITTING you lot?" The "Prince" grumbled.

"N-no, sir!" Both gasped.

"THEN PROVE IT! BY THE HIGH ONE!" He roared out of apparently built up annoyance and bad mood.

"R-roger, sir!"

"Go scout the Reverse Internet! I don't care if it's but a feather! I want something solid related to these "Jet Black Phoenix" rascals or else there'll be PUNISHMENT! Get it?" He ordered in an icy tone of voice.

"R-roger!"

Netsuhonoo ran off and both exited the alley while sighing in relief: they began to walk away and soon stepped into an avenue with a lot of people going up and down.

"Man. What's with the guys around here? Why do they need to stir up trouble? Atarasei and his jokes… The radio trio…"

"Hey. And let's not forget the girls either. Ms. Heiress. And Tozukana – san."

"Huff! Ms. Sniper… Don't get me started on that gal."

"The gal who came from Gaul."

"Man. Now that's a lame pun."

"My bad. I felt like it, for some reason."

"At least we know that some "ghosts of the past" will be showing up in the days to come… Under the name of "Jet – Black Phoenix" and using new tactics…"

"Yeah. And I'm sure that Flash Man's attack used IR or UV to become invisible: we need to re-calibrate everyone's sensors." Beta X warned as he stuffed both hands in the pockets.

"Sure thing… The "ghost"… What's their goal? Money? Or maybe they prefer the classical "terror"…?"

"Who knows…? It might be Wily's or Regal's ghost even." Beta X ironically replied.

"Oh please. Save me the irony. I'm not in the mood for it."

"My bad. But the air feels like it robs all happiness, even…"

_Huff! We need something to increase the morale or else we're in trouble!_


	2. Chapter 2: Bombing & Fighting

**Chapter 2: Bombing & Fighting **

08:48 AM (Japan Time), Sunday June the 26th…

"… Fua~h… Hmmm… The darkest coffee in the world… Made by Dark Man… The hottest kitchen in the world… Run by Burner Man… The vampire waiter… Shade Man… Heh, heh, heh… Almost like a cosplay party… The silver-clad guy who rivals Yami Yuugi to silver… Andy…"

"OI!"

"YIKES! Eh! What!"

"Miquel – kun… What did ya say right now? Huh?"

"Yikes! Eh! That's… I didn't intend to…!"

"So I'm just a show-off, huh? Who thinks silver is fashionable, huh?"

"N-no! Wrong! I was dreaming, man! It's not like I choose what I wanna dream! Andy!"

A guy had been sleeping and muttering aloud in his bed when someone else awakened him.

This guy had blonde hair and blue eye irises.

The room was square and metallic: it had a king-sized bed where he was sitting in, a round wooden table SW of it, a sofa, a three-drawer set with an LCD TV atop it, and a wardrobe in the NW corner.

The light came from bulbs in the ceiling and it had a door on the east wall and another on the SW corner just south of the table.

"Oh yeah?"

"Of course!"

Andy, the Navi, was about standard height, that is, over a meter and sixty, maybe closer to seventy.

His eyes' irises were a mix of red and golden and he looked both annoyed and irritated.

Some silver-colored hair could be seen emerging from beneath his helmet as well.

His whole body with the exception of his forearms and boots was painted in a bright silver color.

The boots and forearms, however, had been tinted in a slightly rusted bronze color.

A bronze-colored thin vertical stripe ran across his body from the neck to the end of the crotch crossing over his silver-edged chest emblem (which contained a five-pointed golden star set against a black background inside of a silver circle).

"Kage Miquel… HMPF!"

SLAM!

"Oh boy… Almost like in New Year's Eve…!" Kage grumbled aloud as he climbed outta the bed.

He wore black pajamas and he put on a couple of black slippers before heading into the right-side door while picking his PET (colored golden and silver) and a blue towel: he stepped into a corridor having one door in the north side, another south and another across it: he stepped into the southern room for a moment and soon came out to then open the north door and step into a shower room: he undressed and placed his clothes in a stool in the corner before turning on one of the showers.

"Sheesh. That damned "ghost" is doing a DAMNED good job at stirring up bad mood between us, the "good guys"… The rascal teases us with that absolute lack of hints about their true colors… And now we got a taste of what's coming… Revived past Navis… I hope the freak isn't included in the mix: I'd rather hope they don't use the freak to try to traumatize Hikari – kun again…" He mumbled aloud.

He finished applying shampoo to his head and turned on the shower to cleanse it: he hummed a tune as music played from the PET and he closed the shower to apply the body gel: he turned it on again to wash it away and stretched.

"Phew. Well. Let's get dressed, fix the bed, and go have breakfast: I wanna listen to the new album… "The Bombers"… In the blog… The radio trio teased that the 1st chapter involved a chickpea cake… I wanna figure out what's the trick… Oh yeah… And I gotta apologize to Andy too… If only the guy weren't so prideful…"

He sighed and opened the wardrobe to pick his clothes: a pair of black boxers, black socks, a pair of jeans, a blackish t-shirt, a brown overcoat, and, finally, black knee-tall boots.

"Good."

He also put on a black wool bandana with Andy's emblem drawn on its front and picked a pair of sunglasses which he pocketed in the right pocket before walking outta the room and into a wide metallic corridor with armored doors set on both sides of it: they all had an interphone plus a small keypad to input a password: they had labels signaling whose rooms they were.

"Let's go to the cafeteria."

He walked north and ended up in a cafeteria with several round metallic tables and plastic chairs set there: the Net Navi Dark Man was the barman given how he stood behind the counter and whistling could be heard from the kitchen.

"Good morning. Kage – san." Dark Man greeted.

"Morning, Dark Man… Who else came?"

"I saw Andy run past a while ago… I think he got annoyed." Dark Man glanced to the corridor which started on the NW corner.

"Huff. Yeah… I know…"

"Good morning. Miquel – san."

"Ah. Leon. Morning. Did you sleep well?"

"I did. Leaving the porthole open was a good idea."

"OK. Let's sit down."

A young guy about 13 or 14 years old and slight over a meter and fifty tall or coming closer to a meter and sixty joined Kage.

He had white messy hair plus eyes with brown irises: his face was smooth and he had a good "profile" to him.

He looked calm.

He wore a white and blue stripped shirt, navy blue shorts, and brownish sandals.

"_Bonjour_, my fellow conspirers enchanted by Uncle Moran."

"_Noir_ – sama, sir… I think that…"

"Oh come on. Legato. It's just a greeting. I don't think Superintendent Oda will accuse me of robbing his motto. Do you?"

"No, sir. I apologize, sir."

"Oh. Boss. Morning."

"Legato – san. Good morning, sir."

A new duo joined them on that moment: they were a guy and his partner Net Navi.

The guy wore a black monk's tunic with hood which hid his face but his height was similar to that of Kage.

The Navi, Legato, used black as his main "skin" color yet his upper torso had red blood armor built over it: there were two black shapes drawn over the shoulders having a golden rim and a thin black line spread from the base of the neck to the lower edge of the armor.

His helmet's main color was blood red as well, yet the inner edges surrounding his thick red shades had a tint of purple to them.

His emblem (having a golden outer edge) consisted of white and black halves split by a thunderbolt-shaped line.

A purple band formed on the forehead and circled the whole diameter of the forehead.

Two valley-shaped cavities had been inserted into the sides of it and they ended in golden circles: a "fin" sprouted from the top of the helmet thus giving it a menacing-like look.

The forearms were colored blood red and had two purple-colored parallel formations which originated at the sides of the emblem atop each hand's palm: they spread over the edge of the forearm while forming a pyramid-like shape.

The central body of the forearm was now colored metallic gray and had two purple circles colored yellow inside: a purplish-colored blade emerged around a cone-shaped purple-colored formation: the blade looked sharp and menacing for some reason or another.

His boots began slightly below the knee and had purple-colored diamond-like shapes which extended as high as the knee: they were colored blood red as well: the soils were colored purple, too.

Lastly, a wild flock of silver hair came out from behind the helmet and covered all of his body's back.

Overall, he looked like a revamped Blues.

"_Marchando_! Welcome to the burnin' and rampagin' cafeteria!"

"Burner Man. Get ready to cook things, my fellow conspirer." Dark Man chuckled.

"Yessir!"

Another Navi came out of the kitchen.

He struck as being around a meter and sixty tall or above,

His head was surrounded by a blood red metallic helmet which had two of those fang-like objects set on both sides of it: his emblem was set on the forehead and its drawing was a simplistic oval-shaped flame colored sky blue.

His eyes didn't have irises on them and were colored blue while a grin covered his face.

Red metallic armor was built over his upper body and it had four metallic objects shaped like fangs set over the shoulders.

Each one had a yellow stripe close to the backwards edge which had a small blackish metallic cover on it.

His shoulders were oddly placed lower than they should be at, half-way down the upper body: two short black arms without elbows emerged from them and ended in long cylinders colored red with a yellow stripe and having black hands at their end: the emblem was repeated there.

The body below the armor had armor with some vertical stripes set on them: his legs were free of armor until just past the knee: two cylinders with the same coloring pattern as the ones in the arms were set there and two armored feet with black soils emerged from below them.

"Let's sit down."

Everyone sat down in the chairs around one table: Legato seemed to frown and looked around.

"Where's Andy – kun?"

"He got another mood and went up to the deck to vent it off…"

"Again? Sheesh. Kage. Why do you always need to bully Andy – kun?"

"I'm not bullying Andy! He's too susceptible: that's the problem!"

"What did you say?"

"I was dreaming, man! I only said that he wanted to compete with Yami Yuugi when it came to silver!"

"Oh yes. That popular phrase in the "Yu-Gi-Oh MAD" videos… He can be somewhat over-reactive from time to time, yes. A weakness, even." _Noir_ muttered.

"By the way… I don't know why, but… Something tells me we'll get news of happenings… soon." Leon muttered.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Kage muttered.

09:58 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Sheesh. Man. No luck. More dummy data… Pieces of a Wikipedia article… And what's more: it's about _Skyward Sword_… The "ghost" or the rascal's underlings sure like to taunt us…"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"Eisei?"

"Nope!"

"Jet Black Phoenix?"

"Yeah!"

"Lovely."

"I'll bring you down in ONE HIT!"

"Oh yeah? Ya wanna beat me, Fighting Cyclone – sama~?"

"Yeah! I'll beat ya with EASE!"

"You're giving it away!"

"Che."

A Navi had been examining a terminal inside of a warehouse building somewhere in the Cyber World when a voice rang out.

This Navi, Fighting Cyclone, used green as his main color.

His helmet was also partial since the rear was unshielded and his purple-tinted hair emerged from behind.

It was split into two parts: the uppermost part had a dome protruding off the helmet's center and protected by further armor which, as seen from the front, amounted to a trapeze with two extensions reminiscent of antennae aiming backwards.

Two narrow yellowish pyramids formed from the rear section of the dome and aimed backwards: the center of the trapeze had the "_kaze_" or "wind" _Kanji_ colored purple set there.

The second part of the helmet could be described as an inverted trapeze covering the center of the forehead and with two slightly curved lines aiming backwards and which ended with another pair of inverted trapezes coupled with a bit of black armor: the ear-pads were also purple in color but had no drawing there yet they had a black edge as seen from the outside while the edge running down the cheeks was white.

A pair of greenish transparent shades protected his eyes the irises of which were brown.

The chest armor began with a round blue metallic collar around the base of the neck and, from there, an inverted triangle-shaped piece of greenish armor extended with the purple initials "FC" scrawled on its centermost spot.

The shoulders had an initial upper-half-of-a-cylinder armor coupled with further armor with curved greenish armor built in segments: two white paws were set on the foremost and rearmost sections.

His forearms, like most Navis, had armor starting at the elbow and protecting them: it was built using a green circle plus a green cylinder reaching until the wrist.

Three fins were arranged in a row over the whole of the armor paired with a pair of white metallic blades reminiscent of a dragon's ones starting at the wrist and extending past the hands' length: the exposed arm was covered in black "skin" too.

Similar to Raging Flame, the body below the torso and until the knees was only shielded by black "skin" and a row of dull gray metallic squares ran down the length of both sides.

The legs' armor began at the knees with a blade aiming upwards and a navy blue round edge with a diagonal depression: the rest of the boots were rather plain green models with two bands splitting the boots in three segments colored deep green.

Lastly, a metallic green piece with orange edge reminiscent of a dragon's tail emerged from the rear of the torso's armor.

His overall height was over a meter and seventy tall.

"Whatever! It won't change that…!" The unseen challenger began.

"Oho. Wait a min, _Danna_… Did ya forget how elements work in Net Battles?" Fighting Cyclone snickered.

"What? Oh fuck!"

"Heh, heh, heh."

"Nyagra~h!" The challenger growled.

"Starting to get senile~?"

"FUCK YOU~…!"

"Oh yeah? I doubt that a Navi like ya knows what it means. Ya must think it's a common insult." He grinned.

Fighting Cyclone glanced over his right shoulder to see how a blurry almost invisible shape tried to attack him from behind but he merely let the attacker hit him with an sword-type weapon: a cloud of smoke ensued, a statue of the PKMN "Lugia" was left behind, and 10 _shuriken_ stabbed the assaulter's back one after the other: Fighting Cyclone reappeared behind the assaulter and drew the Wind God Racket Battle Chip.

"Wind God Racket!"

The blast of wind made the assaulter fly until they hit a steel beam: the _shuriken_ fell off and the assaulter groaned as they tried to recover but then Fighting Cyclone shot a Super North Wind at the assaulter to pierce their stealth camouflage.

"So? Who do we have here? A gramps come out of retirement?"

"Damn it! I'm Elec Man – sama!"

The assaulter turned out to be Elec Man: Fighting Cyclone merely snickered and drew a Bamboo Sword.

"I thought that Dully – chan would be coming out but… Guess we shouldn't be so expectant." He chuckled.

"Dully – chan? Ah! The bulky rascal." Elec Man grumbled.

"So? Why did you come out of the turf?"

"My strategy was approved!"

"By the "ghost"?"

"Yeah! Ghost – sama approved of it!"

"I guess he's gotta be disappointed seeing on how ya forgot that, in Net Battles, wind isn't weak to elec."

"Shit! It's the bulky guy's fault! He said I'd had an easy victory and voted in favor of my strategy!" Elec Man hissed.

"Heh, heh, heh. Dully – chan wants the spotlight, as usual."

"I'll bury 'em!"

"If you can, that is."

"Enough chit-chat! Lightning Blast!"

"Heh! How frail…! Huh? Ugrah!"

The Lightning Blast which had been forming on Elec Man's hands suddenly became invisible and it suddenly reappeared but it had cloned itself in countless Lighting Blasts of varying length, width and height: they all hit Fighting Cyclone from different angles and despite using the Bamboo Sword to repel some of them he was unable to properly block them all: Elec Man chuckled while Fighting Cyclone growled.

"Fuck. So you've got new tricks up your sleeves, huh?"

"Yeah! We're above the pathetic selves we were in the past!" Elec Man snickered.

"Fine. How about I bring you to our base and dissect ya… There's no running away from Shunoros!"

"What? Wait!" Elec Man gasped.

"Yeah! It's just like ya think!"

Fighting Cyclone suddenly signaled a pendant he had hanging from his neck.

This pendant had a narrow metallic-colored vertical hexagon shape and contained a small jewel-like object colored in a pale green color and having fluorescent properties: the pendant's north end had a carved miniature human skull there.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Your doom has come… Oreichalcos Boundary: Activate!"

The pendant glowed and began to agitate in mid-air: wind began to blow as well and Elec Man folded his arms in an instinctively manner: a greenish glow formed on the ceiling of the room and he looked up.

"What!"

A greenish circle with some symbols carved on its edge formed there and began to spin as it descended into ground level: the circle descended and set itself in the ground while it slowed down until it stopped spinning altogether: two parallel vertical lines formed as emerging from two of the symbols in both ends.

"Wha…?"

A new line formed to interconnect both parallel lines and created the shape of the Alphabet "N" character: a horizontal line spanning the whole width of the circle formed at the middle point across the "N" character's length: two more lines formed in both ends: the one in the left end headed upwards while the one in the right end headed downwards.

"By all the…!"

These lines made contact with the unused ends of the initial parallel lines and they completed the drawing: the whole thing shone with a pale green halo.

Looking closely at the edge, one could see that it contained 22 symbols and that half of them repeated, thus making up two 11-symbol words.

"Shit."

"Heh, heh, heh…"

"What!"

Fighting Cyclone had lowered his head as some kind of purple-colored "aura" formed around his body: he suddenly lifted his head.

"Surprise~…"

"What in the?"

The drawing had been superimposed over his usual forehead drawing and his eyes' irises had brightened further.

"Oreichalcos Boundary! The secret weapon of us of Shunoros!"

"Shit. I'd heard from the bulky guy about it but he said he didn't have the mineral thing anymore to activate it. Ghost – sama didn't seem to be too surprised by it, dunno why." Elec Man muttered.

"Well! This Field-affecting Battle Card is the power granted to us by our Lord! It disables both battlers' Field-affecting Battle Chips and Cards! And it also allows me to gain an extra 50% power bonus for _all_ of my Battle Cards!"

"50%! And the bulky rascal said it merely increased by 12.5%!"

"I'm sure he actually owns the mineral and the Battle Card. But he's smug so he's trying to make you lose interest on it. He wants to use it to turn a fight around and get praised, I guess."

"I always had the feeling Ghost – sama was somewhat _naïve_ when it came to realizing the level of rivalry we all had." Elec Man fumed.

"My. How amusing. The Prince will surely snicker at this piece of news: he got it coming for trying to have ya lot work together."

"Sheesh. Whatever. That doesn't change the fact that I'm gonna beat you to a pulp. Program Advance! Giga Cannon!"

"Oho. Spiral Gusts!"

"What!"

Fighting Cyclone drew two small fans which shot out two spiraling gusts and split the Giga Cannon's beam of energy into 3: only the central one hit Fighting Cyclone's body and the other two bounced off an invisible dome to then hit Elec Man's knees: he growled and drew 2 Elec Swords to rush towards Fighting Cyclone who drew 2 Long Blades: they clashed swords and began to struggle in the dead-lock.

"The "ghost" is a Gangar!"

"What? Sheesh."

"Dully – chan lowered your attack output while ya were napping and dreaming of power plants!"

"W-WHAT?" He got angered.

"Heh, heh, heh. Dream Sword!"

"What? Ugra~h!"

"Ya forgot about my 50% power bonus!"

"Shit."

The Dream Sword caught Elec Man with the guard lowered and he was starting to get tired while Fighting Cyclone was still fresh: he suddenly dashed forward and gripped Elec Man's neck with the right hand while he extended his left hand opened and placed it over the forehead: a bright green glow ensued as Fighting Cyclone seemingly tried to extract information out of Elec Man's mind.

"A total of 7… You, Flash Man, Dully – chan… 4 unknown… The "ghost" whoever they are… The place… Huh? Nothing? Pitch black? No coordinates, no time zone, nothing? Should've seen it coming but if that's the case then… How does this guy know the way back? Or maybe he doesn't know it… And they recall them… Careful as usual…" He muttered as he seemingly read the data.

"Yeah…! Ya won't figure out our location so easily…!"

"Hence the noise-emitting phoenix…"

"Let go of me!"

"Not yet. I'm sure there must be something else in your body which could provide a hint. And nothing can come in or out of the Boundary: not even my own radio signal. But it's tuned so that I can open a gateway inside of it and free of external interference." He announced.

"KRA~H!" A screech rang out.

"What?"

The "phoenix" suddenly formed outside the dome and began to grow in size and mass: it suddenly flew upwards at a mad speed, drew an arch, and plummeted towards the dome: it shattered upon impact and the sudden burst of "noise" disoriented Fighting Cyclone: the "phoenix" wrapped around Elec Man and formed the cyclone while bathing Fighting Cyclone on black feathers which exploded upon impact: by the time he was able to recover control, there was no trace of Elec Man.

"Fuck. The dome has a limit as to how much mass it can repel or bounce off… The Prince will have to toughen it up… But at least we know how many of them there are… 7, huh? And we're 9. So we outnumber them with ease. But these new tactics could prove to be bothersome to counter or handle." He muttered aloud.

He shrugged and snapped his right hand's fingers to form a black circle which disrupted the air around it: he stepped in and exited into a warehouse in the real world: his armor glowed and broke down into clusters of data before giving way to a Link PET (colored green).

"Phew."

Fighting Cyclone's real look revealed that he had brown eye irises: his hair had been tinted purple and his face was smooth and had a "good" profile to it.

He sported an open purple sleeveless vest over a t-shirt with the drawing of a purple-colored tornado and the words "KICKASS TORNADO" colored green inscribed below it: his jeans were plain yet coupled with a black belt decorated with the "_taifuu_" or "cyclone" _kanji_ colored green.

His sneakers were colored purple and green as well.

"Well, Kazebun Gerard, my fella… Things are heating up… And let devil bite me if the next one doesn't prove to be tougher… At least we know that the ghost insists on mutual cooperation but that's impossible given their natures… It might help to stir up in-fighting amongst their ranks to give us some advantage… Uncle Moriarty's nephews… Heh." He made a snicker at the end.

He exited the warehouse in a warehouse district and quickly made his way to the main streets by zigzagging across empty streets: he joined the main traffic and whistled a tune: his PET beeped and he drew it to see the same drawing as in the "Boundary" onscreen.

"Yo. _Danna_. I applaud ya extra hours."

"Eisei… Come to troll me again? When I get back to the base I'm gonna have a talk with ya."

"Talk – klat!" He laughed.

"How lame."

"Come back to our tropical turf and we'll chat 'bout chickpea cakes and cars and bikes and dogs!"

"That being the M &F broadcast?" He sighed.

"Yessir… Bomber Man gotta be stirring 6 feet under…"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure." Kazebun skeptically replied.

"Did ya keep a feather as souvenir?"

"How could I if they all exploded on contact?"

"Use a feathered shield!" Eisei laughed.

"How original of you. Over."

He cut the transmission and pocketed the PET while looking at the sky.

_Who will be next, I wonder… Some diehard rascal? Heh…_

10:45 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Alright… Andy is still in a foul mood so I'm going to have to listen to the broadcast by myself… Too bad… Oh well…"

Kage was sitting in the deck of a ship somewhere and leaning his back against a cubical metallic building: he had a handrail less than two meters in front of him and a gigantic metallic cover could be seen suspended high in the air: he held the PET on the right hand.

"… Welcome, our dear fellow conspirers! Today we radio trio, V – B – N, bring upon… "The Bombers"! By Franciso Ibañez! In case some of you are new to the tradition let us do a brief intro… Burner!"

"_Marchando_! Well! These are Spanish comic books named "Mortadelo y Filemón" which star these 2 fellows, agents of the "TIA"! A parody of the CIA, see~… The funny part is that no matter what happens… nobody dies on-screen! Beware! There'll be a lot of Spanish puns which we'll translate along the way… So… Let's go! Needle!"

"Shah, shah, shah! There's a gal in the first few panels so we asked Sandra, Ikada Bertha's Navi, to lend us a hand in the voice. Sandra!"

"Delighted. "Oh, I'm so happy~! You're sticking a photo of mine in your office~!" … This is Ms. Ofelia, the secretary to the "TIA" Superintendent and who has a crush on Mortadelo… She's rather fatty so she tends to be made fun of her big size and weight… Video?"

"Heh, heh, heh. _Action_! "OK! Ready? Get away: I'm shooting!"… TCHAC! A dart flies off and hits Ofelia's photo nose! "Got the nose! Heh, heh! I win 10 – 8! You only hit an eye! Wha…? Ah! H-hi~… Heh, heh… We were looking for a big target to play darts and so we thought that…"…. CRONCH! Sandra!"

"… Oh well… "And head to Mr. Superintendent's office on the double!"… Video!"

"Heh! Ms. Ofelia had them become one with a door! "D-did you call for us, Mr. Super?"… "Yes. I've got a fitting mission for you two."… "OK! Boss, get the bin, I get the broom!"…"

"Fitting mission… And they thought it was to broom the office? These guys…!" Kage chuckled.

"… "No, man, no! Starting today you'll be fighting… THE BOMBERS!"…"

"There they come out!"

"… "The bombers? The firemen?"… "Of course not! They're a band of brutes… They self-name themselves like that because they do the brute with all kinds of bombs! Agent Cascajez got given one in the shape of a hammer and see what happened when he tried to pierce open a nut… So there… You gotta find 'em and jail 'em!"… "But, hey… And if we find one of those bombs just when it's about to go off? What do we do?"… "Oh, you needn't! Don't worry! Agent Mondónguez will handle it all."… So as to say, he'll pick their remains."

"Heh. Black humor…"

"For those curious… Agent Cascajez ended up broken in pieces and a medic was trying to glue them back together… "Go to this place! We suspect that the owner is trying to place a bomb in the shape of a chickpea cake in a commercial flight!"… "I'm not being pessimistic, Boss, but I got the feeling this'll our last mission."… A vulture followed them on foot! Needle!"

"Heh, heh, heh." Kage chuckled.

"… Shah, shah, shah! "There it is! There's a car on the door!"… "Yeah, going to the track… Heh, heh… I'm gonna blow a Boeing 747!"… "Good luck!"… "Did ya hear? He's gonna blow a Boeing!"… "He stuffed the bomb-cake in the trunk! We must steal it!"… "I distract the guy and you get it! Let's go!"… He puts on a traffic policeman disguise! "There! Driving license and certificate that the car has the smallpox vaccine!"… "Now's the chance… Heh, heh! He bit the bait!"… "ARGN!"… "OW! AH! UWA~H!"…"

"Whoa. What happened?" Kage wondered.

"_Marchando_! "What's the matter, Boss?"… "A dog! There was a dog in the trunk!"… "Of course. And you had to stuff your nose in the mouth. Devil, he lowered the cover and he's leaving!"…"

"Shah, shah, shah! "We gotta catch 'im!"… "Here comes a car! We'll borrow it to chase him! Stop! Special agent! You car will be borrowed in the name of the… "TIA"…!"… ROAR! * Curses * … "Hey… Haven't you seen a car? It'd seem I forgot to hand-brake it and… You brute~! Like you're the type who doesn't forget something!" … "Here comes a bike… Let's borrow it! Stop! Control anti-alcohol! Blow in this tube!"… "Y-yes, sir!"… "Now, Boss, that's he's distracted!"… "He sure blows a lot!"…"

"Heh, heh, heh. Those two invite disaster to drop by~…"

"It turns out it was a balloon in the shape of a pig and with the advert "Sausages El Gorrino"! "There he is! Get to his side and I'll command him to stop!"… VROM! "Y-you MORON! Didn't you see he got into a super-narrow alley?"… "W-well, Boss, I…"… They got embed into the wall leaving a hole there! "Brrr! Can we continue with the bike?"… "Well, see, if I carry this and you say "pro-pro-pro"… See, see, he stopped on the concrete track!"… "Let's go! You're under arrest for vile and repulsive!"… "Yeah, we know you plan on blowing a Boeing 747!"… "Yes, of course… What's the matter? I'm an airplane model-maker!"…"

"Wha~t? Oh come on! Another Spanish pun, right!" Kage exploded into laughter.

"Yessir! "Volar" normally means "to fly" but in this context they assumed it was "volar" as in "volar por los aires" or "blow sky-high"! So he was literally going "to fly" a Boeing 747… model!" Burner Man laughed as he explained.

"The "TIA" and their info sources: you can never trust 'em!"

"… "WOOF!"… "Devil, see, Boss! The dog!"… "Oh, yes, it's very useful! When a model falls too far away, he picks it by the nose and brings it back to me… He's done it so many times that, when he sees a nose close by, he thinks it's the plane's nose and MUNCH!"… MUNCH! "UWA~H! Ya thinking the same I do, Boss, ya thinking?"… "I do, I do!"… "You guys back? Did you get the cake fellow? Ah! You got the bomb back, I see! Huh? But what are those ropes and those newsprints…? This is a repellent insubordination! You'll regret this! You cave-men!"…"

"And their usual vengeance on Mr. Super!" Kage chuckled.

"… _Action_! "Take plane! Take bomb! TAKE THIS!"… "You've got the funeral offers in the left flap! Read 'em!"… They tied him, rode him in a plane paper, and sent him flying along with a bomb!"… End of chapter 1! However! Since chapters are pretty short in this album…" Video Man began to say.

"We'll be doing 2 per day! So let's go with chapter 2! Shah, shah, shah!"

"Oho."

"… "Mortadelo! Filemón! Urgent mission! Where are ya… at? OW!"… "W-we were playing at the petanque…"… "Ya know, we gotta measure which ball is closest to the black ball and…"… He tripped with their measuring tape! "You needn't measure anymore! The black ball will remain glued to those balls you've got over the shoulders!"… He chases them with a swinging black iron ball! "Well! Head immediately to banker Billetájez's house! The "Bombers" snuck a sweet-bomb amongst other sweets and he swallowed it without realizing! You must escort him to the explosive center so that they deactivate it… But be VERY careful! That thing can explode at the slightest sneeze!"… "Well. Let's hope the fellow doesn't have a cold!"… "Remember! Be very, very careful!"…"

"Man! What a setting!"

"… "How do you do, Mr. Billetájez? Relax, eh? We're here to protect you!"… "The… the bomb! The bomb…! A~h!"… "The bomb in the stomach! If he hits the ground it explodes!"… "I made it on time! I've got fast reflexes, eh, Boss?"… "My… teeth… My teeth…!"… "Don't worry! I'll keep them in a bag! Efficacy is our motto!"… M shook B's hand too strong, he suffered a shock, he was about to fall, but M picked a canvas with a thick frame from the wall and his teeth hit it!"

"Man. That guy always brings trouble along."

"Like you?" Andy suddenly loomed over him.

"Sheesh! Andy! Man! How many times do we have to go over this? I wasn't trying to insult you!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Sheesh! Don't look at me like I'm the source of trouble!"

"Hmpf! Think about it. And if you get your ass kicked then don't come weeping at me for help. Kage Miquel."

Andy walked off towards the left and Kage sighed out of exasperation as he rolled his eyes.

"The guy's way too prideful…! Like that'll help you win a battle!"

"… "You brute! Brrr! Here, sit down in this chair…"… "No good, Boss, this chair is too hard! Better get an armchair!"… "The bomb…! The bomb…!" … "But, Boss, I only wanted him to be more comfortable… CALM DOWN!"… "Here, sit down here, we'll transport you to the hall!"… "T-the door! The door!"… "Think I've got no wits? Don't worry: it's open and…!"… PLAF! "What did ya do, ya walking catastrophe? Lower him!"… "The bomb… The bomb!"… "Calm down, Boss, man! I'm not to blame for these dwarf-heighted doors!"… M took off the chair as Mr. B was about to sit down on it first… And now he forgot to lower the armchair to get through the door, see! Burner!" Video Man laughed.

"Yessir! _Marchando_! "Ah! A wheeled stool for the piano! We can carry him with softness! Alright! We'll go down with the lift…"… "No, the lift shudders too much!"… "Well, we'll go down the stairs with finesse and delicacy and…!"… "What did ya do, ya donkey?"… "Nothing! I thought the first step was further ahead!"… Gripping on the stool: and down he goes through the curved stair! "Luckily the hall is long and he'll slowly come to a halt!"… CRANCH! … "Whoa! The 7th floor's jeweler will get angered: he'd just bought this safe!"… "The bomb… The bomb…!"… "Don't worry, I'll bring a van and carry you with it! Here I am, Mortadelo! Bring him!"… "Roger, Boss…"… "Up he goes! Carefully…"… "Along the stool, right?"… CLANC! TACLINC! CRACK! BOUM! "You idiot! Didn't you see the tool-box in the ground?"… "How frightful: he got the mechanical jack's crank up the pylorus! Needle!"

"Sheesh. Mortadelo always has to screw it up: why can't he try to be more careful?"

"… Shah, shah, shah! "Ow! Ow!"… "Calm down! In a couple minutes we get to the explosive center!"… "I'll drive!"… They turn on the van but they forgot to lock the rear doors so Mr. B is shot off while still gripping the stool! "OW! THE BOMB! AH! IA~H!"… "Huh! Hope nothing happens to the fella… Apart from giving him a bomb they'll give him a fine!"… "A fine? Why's that?"… "See? He sped past us by the right side!"… "Quick! Catch up to him! We mustn't let him bounce like that!"… "Yeah, Boss! Full gas!"… SCRENCH! "UA~H!"… "W-well, I did it… He doesn't bounce…"… "Y-you ran him over! Calm down, calm down, I'm getting you out!"… "AH!"… "Look, the bomb! He expelled it without exploding!"…"

"Wow."

"… _Action_! "I'm… I'm off before they finish me off!"… "Gotta be a defective… Heh, heh! Get lost!"… BOOM! "Why! You're back? Weren't you leaving?"… "UNPRECEDENTED AGGRESSION! When he'd gotten rid of a bomb, two "TIA" agents go and make it explode right in front of his noses: they are supposed to belong to some anti-moustache sect and…" … "Do ya think they'll find us, Boss?"… "Shaddup! And bring fresh soda: I'm burning in here!"… V!"

"B!"

"N!"

"V-B-N! That's all for today, folks! Expect chapters 3 & 4 tomorrow!"

"Heh. I guess M actually threw it in the direction Mr. B was running off at and it exploded… So in the end all the effort was in vain out of M wanting to throw it instead of bringing it to the explosive center… Heh!"

He stood up and stretched: he pocketed the PET and leant on the handrail to look out into the bay: the coast could be seen further to the south.

"So… The "ghost" wants some action… Maybe he'll soon regret messing with Golden Star of all ones… And I hope that Andy changes his mood soon or we can't work like that… He's too susceptible from time to time and that doesn't benefit us at all…"

_Oh well. Let's hope that, otherwise, we can have a cool summer…_


	3. Chapter 3: Downfall of the tunnels

**Chapter 3: Downfall of the tunnels**

23:33 PM (Chicago Time), Tuesday June the 28th…

"… Dingo~… Are ya sure following this weird Cyber Tunnel was a good idea to begin with? Now we're in Chicago~…"

"Whoa. I thought it was a shortcut to the Indianapolis Internet City, Tomahawk Man. My bad."

"Fine~… Since we're here… Let's check to see if those mad guys from 3 years ago are back at it…"

"Oh yeah, the Tea Party radicals…"

"Yeah. Which then formed the Bitter Party."

"What stupid naming sense."

"Ya needn't tell me."

"Heh, heh, heh. Well. If it isn't the Sioux."

"Who – goes – there?"

"Your worst nightmare: the downpour! The Monsoon!"

"Monsoon? Wasn't that a type of rice?"

"Dingo~… You mean "curry"… Monsoon is a downpour and a wind!"

Tomahawk Man had been walking along a road on the outskirts of the Chicago Internet City and talking to Dingo when a voice rang out: Dingo seemingly mixed the concepts up to begin with.

"What an intriguing chit-chat! So ya found that tunnel too, eh? I guess who built it…" The voice chuckled.

"Oh yeah? Illuminate us, Mr. Cocky."

"Delighted. Tunnel Man did it!"

"How brilliant."

"Is that irony?" Dingo wondered aloud.

"Sure is! Uncle Louis says so."

"Uncle Louis? My uncle ain't named Louis."

"Too bad, Ding o' ding."

"What the heck was that?" Dingo grumbled.

"Don't mind it, Dingo. It's but a taunt."

"Heh, heh, heh. I'm Blue Wave! Of Shunoros! I want some action so how about I check out what stuff you're made of?"

Blue Wave dropped from another road higher up and landed in front of Tomahawk Man who merely got into a battle pose.

His main color, curiously enough, wasn't blue, but a shade of silver-like white or, rather, sky-blue color.

His helmet, like all of the other "Shunoros" members, only protected the front and sides of the head while allowing his blue-tinted hair to freely flow out.

As seen from the front, the forehead of the helmet had a device mounted upon it colored metallic gray: it was built using three different parts and the central one spanning across his forehead was shaped like a climbing hill: there then was a triangle-like extensions popping upwards with an orange-like spot on the center of it close to the top: a small piece in the form of an inverted triangle extended downwards and that was where his blue transparent shades were affixed at: his eyes' irises were blue.

The sides of the helmet were painted in that sky-blue color and had no decoration on them save for the "mizu" or "water" _kanji_ painted over the ears using silver-like ink.

The part of the helmet behind the front triangle had a fin spanning across it and until the back: the fin was divided in three parts as seen from the sides: a navy blue-colored climbing ramp line marked the middle section and the segment below it was colored in a dull gray color while the upper one used the sky blue color: a circling metallic band curved along the rear of the helmet.

This offered protection for the lower part of the head and the neck as well.

A metallic collar-like piece of armor was located around the base of the neck followed by the chest armor which had a metallic upper band followed by an inverted triangle-like piece of armor: the center of it had the initials "BW" set there.

The shoulder armor could be described as being the NW and NE quarters of a spheroid.

Each had a navy blue descending ramp – like line drawn across its length: the lower edges were curved and metallic coupled together with a small square piece on the SW and SE corners of the armor as well.

The forearms' armor (starting at around the elbow and past the exposed segment of arm covered by blue "skin") was rather simple in design having just a small ramp aiming past the armor and emerging from close to the upper edge: they were colored sky-blue too while the hands also were covered in blue "skin".

His boots were also simple in design.

They just had a trapeze-shaped piece of armor set vertically over the knees and one small triangle-like piece close to the star of the toes which had two small openings: it looked like it could vent off heat building up inside of the boots: the soils were plain metallic gray.

He also carried the same pendant Fighting Cyclone had.

"So? Did ya get rid of unwanted stuff over there~?"

"If ya mean the marijuana… Yeah."

"That's what I meant. Imported from Mexico, I take it?"

"More like _smuggled_ from Mexico."

"I heard that someone with hi rank got busted."

"Oh yeah. Some Republican youngster who used connections and wasted party money… That doesn't mean that the party itself is guilty: it was just a smug rascal who wanted to stain them."

"I see, by Moriarty!"

"Wanna fight? Bring it on."

"Oh yeah. Sea God's Anger!"

Blue Wave formed a _tsunami_ which washed Tomahawk Man over and created a ring of water which was knee-high: Tomahawk Man grumbled and jumped out to then form a Stone Cube which he used as footing: he then looked ahead and saw that Blue Wave was hovering over the water and had drawn two edited Vulcan Battle Chips which had four deposits of water each and four muzzles each: he submerged them in the water and loaded them up to then aim them at Tomahawk Man.

"Ocean's Pressure!"

The guns spun and began to shoot hi-pressure water jets at Legato which hit him in eight different spots of his body and pushed him back: Tomahawk Man leapt into the air and curled while he began to spin at a mad speed.

"Tomahawk Rolling!"

He hurled at Blue Wave and the blow pushed both of them into the water: Tomahawk Man quickly drew the tomahawk and began to hit Blue Wave's upper body while he attempted to shield with the forearms: Blue Wave began to crawl back and then pushed Tomahawk Man away by kicking him with both feet on the torso: Blue Wave drew a Zeus Hammer Battle Chip next and began to hit Tomahawk Man: the latter simply formed a spinning tomahawk which drew an orbit and hit Blue Wave's head from behind, stunning him for a moment: Tomahawk Man got to his feet while Blue Wave struggled to get up and rubbed the back of his head.

"Luckily it was a wooden one!"

"My bad. I forgot that that helmet design doesn't protect the rear of your head, see." Tomahawk Man shrugged.

"Fine. I'll let that one slip by."

"By the way…" Dingo began.

"What now."

"Is that supercomputer of yours that incredible?"

"Super…? MWAH, HAH, HAH, HAH!" He suddenly laughed.

"Dingo~… This guy's "Shunoros"… They don't have the supercomputer: Golden Star does!" Tomahawk Man exasperatedly corrected.

"Is that so? I mixed up them again…"

"Ya sure ya didn't try out any of that stuff?"

"I didn't, I swear! If ya want to I'll go to the medical office and ask them for a blood analysis!"

"Fine. That means you didn't. Maybe you're not paying enough attention to begin with."

"Lack of attention, eh? Didn't Barrel pull ya ears?" Blue Wave snickered next.

"No." Dingo grumbled back.

"Let's resume the fight, ya."

"Ah! But of course, my fellow conspirer enchanted by Uncle Sam."

"Sheesh."

"Let's go~! Aka Tsunami!"

A reddish _tsunami_ wave sprouted out of the water and splashed Tomahawk Man despite his attempt to cut through it with his tomahawk: he got set on fire and quickly dived into the normal water to put it out but he spotted yet another wave heading towards him.

"Tomahawk Rolling!"

He flew through the wave and hit Blue Wave as he was raising his arms and seemingly about to summon yet another wave: Tomahawk Man brought down the tomahawk on the helmet's forehead and Blue Wave aimed the modified Vulcan Battle Chips at his chest.

"Ocean's Pressure~!"

The pressurized jets of water pushed Tomahawk Man away and Blue Wave jumped into the air to hover there as he formed 3 serial "Aka Tsunami" waves: Tomahawk Man warped and appeared in front of Blue Wave: he swung the tomahawk horizontally and Blue Wave barely blocked by using his forearms but the blow shattered some of the deposits, which began to leak water and gas: Blue Wave grumbled and looked at them but then Tomahawk Man kicked his lower jaw with the right foot, thus knocking him off the air and into the water again.

"Is there a point to this battle?" A voice asked out of nowhere.

"That voice…? I think I've heard it somewhere before." Tomahawk Man muttered while frowning.

"Whoever it is: ya don't know about battles for fun?" Blue Wave growled back.

"I fail to see how that is supposed to be fun."

"Hmpf! You gotta be the pacifist type. Whatever. Just don't get in my way!" Blue Wave scoffed.

"Fine. I shall see how you plunge into failure."

"Oi. Don't forget me. Elec Circle 3!"

"What! BIRIRIRIRIRI~!"

Tomahawk Man used the Elec Circle to create a spinning ball of electricity which hit the water and electrocuted it along with Blue Wave: he growled something and formed his "gateway" to flee the area: the water quickly dried and Tomahawk Man landed in the ground.

"That's why it's wise to stuff other elemental Battle Chips in the Folder, Dingo. Got the lesson?" Tomahawk Man told him with a sigh as if he was constantly reminding him about it.

"Uh… Yeah. Guess I should revise it, yeah."

"I shall be parting. Farewell."

10:30 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Fuck! Who'd said that rascal had Elec Chips on the Folder? So that's the newest tactic, huh? Stuff things of other elements to be ready for all types of adversaries, huh? Shit."

Blue Wave (having reverted out of his Navi form) was cursing aloud inside of a group of trees within a park: a phone booth could be seen close by as well.

He had dyed his hair blue although some small patches of the original brown could be spotted there and there: his eyes' irises were blue.

He wore a t-shirt with the words "Hokkaido" and a drawing of Sapporo City's main avenue: he sported jeans and blue-stripped and white sneakers.

"Whatever the ever. Shit."

"Oh my. So you're one of the bad boys, eh?" A girl's voice rang out from close by with some amusement.

"Who…? Hey! Cha are…"

"Ikada Bertha. Golden Star's _ice queen_…"

"The gal who beat Kazebun!"

"Indeed. What's your name, cutie?"

"Sheesh. Umisama Garcia!"

A girl on her early 20s showed up from close by.

She had long platinum blond hair plus eyes with blue irises to them: she had a ruthless-like figure to her, even.

She sported a sleeveless white shirt plus navy blue jeans and a pair of black boots.

She carried simplistic-looking black handbag hanging from the right shoulder while a cobalt-colored Link PET with a golden-colored Alphabet "S" character on it as emblem was set on her arm-strap.

"Bertha – chan, ya there…? Hey. That's one of "Shunoros"…"

"Sandra! Did cha enjoy cha trip to Paris?"

"Paris? I just went to track one piece of that money we gave to the "ghost server" and I ended up in a dead end."

Another girl showed up from behind Ikada: she had green eye irises and also seemed to be on her early 20s.

She had reddish hair as well.

She sported a short-sleeved navy blue shirt, shorts and sandals.

"Too bad."

"Why's it too bad?" Sandra frowned.

"Cha missed the chance to go see Dr. Jacinta."

"Dr. Jacinta? Who's that?"

"Someone and no – one." She giggled.

"Not with that joke again. I don't intend on undergoing plastic surgery for a vain purpose." She whispered back with obvious annoyance.

"Tee, heh, heh."

"By the way: there's someone creating Cyber Tunnels to move around undetected. Any ideas?" Umisama brought up.

"That'd be Tunneling – chan." She giggled.

"Sheesh. You mean Drill Man, former "Four Dark Heavenly Kings"… The band that revived Forte years ago using "Dark Power" and brought upon the materialization of Navis across the world… The "Crimson Lobby" bought his data from the "ghost server" and now he's roaming around there…" Sandra explained.

"Wasn't there another "Crimson Lobby" Navi who got hired by the "ghost" as well?" Umisama seemingly recalled.

"Magic Man. Newbie. Rookie. Neophyte." Ikada laughed.

"How original. Coming from ya." Sandra fumed.

"Oh yeah. The rascal assaulted the Virus Breeder in the Science Labs but got repelled… And Netsuhonoo said he'd fought the guy once when he went mad and tried to storm a middle school…" Umisama recalled with a shrug of the shoulders.

"In essence, my dear Moriarty disciple."

"Sheesh. I'm off."

Umisama stormed off while Ikada giggled and Sandra directed an annoyed glare at her.

"Let's go back to report."

"Sure. To report that cha want to go Paris…"

"Sheesh."

"What's the matter? It's popular."

"I'm no actress who wants to show off!" She whispered back.

"Let's go, then."

They walked away and through the park: Sandra was constantly glaring around as if checking that no – one was trailing them: they didn't spot a dragonfly following them from above at some distance.

"Is it me or I'm hearing a buzz somewhere?" Sandra wondered.

"Someone's phone." Ikada shrugged.

"Guess that. Maybe I'm being paranoid."

"Or maybe it's a bee to begin with."

"Could be, yeah. Oh well. Let's just get to the port."

"And do some sport."

"Sheesh. That pun was lame, cha know?"

"Oh, I do. Tee, heh, heh."

"Speaking of Forte… He's still holed up where Slur – sama closed him at, right?" Sandra recalled.

"Oh no. I heard from Miquel. Someone apparently purged his hatred and anger and he's now in some kind of limbo-like state at his creator's, Dr. Cossack's, home."

"Hum. Curious."

Ikada's PET suddenly emitted a burst of static and she checked it out to see that the "Shunoros" emblem had appeared onscreen.

"Heh, heh, heh. Yo. Queen – sama."

"My. If it isn't Fifty Shades of Gray – chan."

"Sheesh. Mistress! That joke isn't funny. That attempt of irony doesn't seem like something to laugh at." Eisei complained.

"Oh my. Guess that. But if it turns out that we switch the roles around then it makes some sense, no?"

"Sheesh. I've never been into _dominatrix_! I'm _yaoi_!" Eisei whispered back with some annoyance.

"Oh my. I mixed you up with the decaying noble."

"Decaying noble? Who? Sieg?"

"Yes, my cutie. "Last "Blue – Eyes"! Let that decaying noble listen to their requiem! "Burst Stream of Destruction"!" … Right?" She quoted.

"Sheesh. I know he picked his name from the guy in _Yu – Gi – Oh Duel Monsters_ but that doesn't make him a decaying noble, cha know." He sighed in an exasperated manner.

"I wonder 'bout that."

"Quit it." Sandra scolded.

"Enter it." She giggled.

"How original."

"Anyway! I'm sure we'll find the "ghost" before cha guys because we've got a piece of info which we're keeping under wraps! We don't want the rascal to know that we have that advantage!" Eisei whispered with some eagerness.

"Oh my. You know that he's bald?"

"Bald? What does this have to do with anything?"

"You never know, my cutie~… It might be their greatest weakness: getting their head cooked up by the summer sun!"

"How brilliant of cha, Queen – sama~…" He grumbled.

"Oh by the way. Ms. Smiley says hi and bye."

"You've made it up right here and now." Sandra was unimpressed to begin with.

"By the way! I saw the teaser in the blog! "Mountain – climbing, goats, repeaters for thirds! Sofas, baldies and presents for fourths!" … I'm burning to know what will happen… Heh, heh, heh…"

"Burner Man granted cha some of his heat, eh?"

"Oh no. Netsuhonoo did: the guy's too hot-headed anyway."

"Gray…!"

"Yikes! _Aibou_!"

"What happened to the investigation?"

"W-well, that's… Eh… See ya, Queen – sama~!"

The call abruptly ended and Ikada giggled while Sandra sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Those 3 and their teasers…" Sandra muttered.

"…that are the world's best!" Ikada finished with a giggle.

Sandra stormed off ahead of Ikada while she calmly kept a pace to follow her while giggling under her breath…

12:29 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Oh yeah! Burn 'em up! I'm gonna burn 'em up!"

"I'm gonna pierce through ya!"

"Who? Ah! Ya gotta be the tunnel maniac."

"Drill Man – sama~!"

"Napalm Man – sama~! I beat ya pal!"

"Hmpf… Don't place me at the same level as Magic Man!"

"We'll see 'bout that!"

A Navi had been yelling aloud atop a building's rooftop in Akihara City's Internet City when Drill Man showed up by creating one of his "Cyber Tunnels" which erased immediately afterwards.

This Navi, Napalm Man, looked like he was more "machine" than "humanoid" but he could be close to a meter and seventy tall nevertheless.

His main body was colored purple.

He had no nose and mouth but he did have green iris eyes set there: a muzzle-like object formed on the forehead: it had a round white base and the muzzle itself was colored orange.

Napalm Man's shoulders were shaped like arches and colored in a pale purple color: they had a thin square drawn towards the lower edge and an orange-colored stripe passing over the arch and heading towards the rear.

His arms' skin was colored black and his forearms were long cylinders which looked like guns.

The spot where the elbow and the gun fused had a square white plastic piece while the main body of the gun was tinted purple: the rear end was a greenish circle and the guns' muzzle had a circular orange base and a greenish extension.

There was a gap below the torso around the waist before the lower body.

This gap had Napalm Man's emblem set into it which consisted on a white edge with a downwards-aiming triangle drawn inside of it: the upward edge was tinted in a purple color with the rest of the triangle was colored orange instead: a ring circled the triangle close to the spike of the triangle as well.

This lower body was colored purple as well: it included an orange-colored piece spanning from the lower edge and continuing beneath the piece: Napalm Man's legs spread from there.

His legs were plain black: their armor began close to the knees: it included a square-shaped white-colored piece of armor past the ankle: the front part of the feet had a pale purple color while the rear part was colored in a black color.

"I'm Golden Leo's _aibou_~! No need for almighty swords!" Napalm Man laughed.

"You will be DRILLED by the great me~!"

"We'll see 'bout that! Napalm Bomb!"

Napalm Man shot a bomb from his forehead's gun barrel and it hit the floor, setting it on flames and creating a circle of burning napalm around Drill Man who was unimpressed.

"That your best shot?"

"Not by a long way! Fire Bomb!"

His arm-guns shot a couple of bombs which hit Drill Man's knees and set them on fire apart from inflicting piercing damage: Drill Man compacted and began to spin.

"Triple Hole!"

He formed two drill-shaped Viruses at both flanks and "flew" forward at a mad speed: Napalm Man chuckled.

"Curse Shield!"

"You moron!"

"What! Ugruwa~h!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! I'm INVINCIBLE~!"

Napalm Man tried to stop his movements with the Curse Shield but Drill Man broke through and began to drill into Napalm Man's chest armor next but Napalm Man warped and landed atop Drill Man: he began to bang the upper drill encompassing the head with the arms to create an annoying and persisting CLONG sound which echoed inside of the drill: Drill Man stopped and got back to his normal mode while growling and apparently trying to shake it off.

"Vulcan Gun!"

A copy of his arm-mounted gun having an axis and a half-dome base formed and began to shoot several rounds in a rush which bounced off Drill Man's body save for the shoulders.

"Hah! Ya got some new armor, eh? But the knees and shoulders can't bear with it else it'd reduce ya speed!"

"Shit! This Holmes wannabe!"

"Nope! Moran wannabe! Nyah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Sheesh!"

"The "ghost" is a baldie gramps!" Napalm Man taunted.

"HMPF!" Drill Man tried to pose as being unimpressed.

"Cat got the tongue~?"

"You rascal!"

"That's the spirit! Napalm Bomb!"

He shot a bomb which latched into Drill Man's chest and it detonated, covering him in napalm, which quickly caught fire: Drill Man howled and quickly used a Geyser Battle Chip to put it out: the ensuing cloud of steam reduced visibility around him and he quickly began to look around apparently trying to locate Napalm Man.

"Vulcan Gun! Triple Mode!"

"Ugra~h!"

Napalm Man formed three guns and attacked Drill Man's shoulders and waist before rushing in and delivering a couple blows using his arms into Drill Man's chest: he then jumped into the air and landed with the feet first thus kicking Drill Man into the ground where he aimed his three guns at the guy.

"Bermuda Triangle!" Napalm Man tried taunting.

"Fools! We're above those!"

"Or cha are and cha want Magic Man to fail?"

"In-strife is forbidden! If you break the rules you pay with your life!"

"Oho. Strict type, eh? Gotta be old-school!"

"I'm not done with yet! Tunnel Crusher!"

Drill Man warped and began to "drill" through the air as he formed Cyber Tunnels and emerged of them in random positions, disorienting Napalm Man and delivering several blows to him from several angles one after the other: Napalm Man growled and seemed to smirk when he apparently got an idea: he got hit again but he vanished, leaving a statue of the PKMN "Heatran" behind and reappearing higher in the air to form the "Swords of Sealing Light" which fell down around Drill Man thus sealing his movements and trapping him: Napalm Man landed down on the ground and chuckled.

"Ya can't move for 3 turns! And ya can't use those tunnels either! How's that for a counter, ugly?"

"Damn you~… I'll MINCE YOU INTO DUST!"

"Oho. Scary, scary~… Dark Satoshi says ya suck!"

"Who?"

"Your worst nightmare: the ever-popular villain! Nyah, hah, hah, hah!"

"What nonsense and crap is THAT?"

"Ask your precious Magic Man! He lent me this! 'Cause it's a _Magic_ Card which he produced!"

"I knew it! The fucking wizard wannabe~! When I get back I'm so gonna beat the guy up! Despite what Ghost – sama says!" Drill Man growled and swung his arms in a menacing manner.

"Napalm Man? Is everything okay?" Leon asked over the radio.

"Don't worry, Golden Leo~! All's under control! Ya only need bring out "Stromberg's Golden Castle" to make this guy despair!"

"Sheesh!" Leon grumbled.

"In-fighting, eh?" Drill Man taunted.

"Oh no! Golden Leo~ has no sense of humor, that's it!" Napalm Man laughed.

"Maybe." He drily replied.

"Man! Get cheerier!" Napalm Man encouraged.

"How about you try to impede him from running away?" Leon countered with a sigh.

"Oho. Sure thin', _Danna_~! Time for the final blow! Vulcan…!"

Drill Man suddenly formed a black ring of energy which hit the "Sealing Swords of Light" and made them frizzle before breaking down into the basic polygons which made them up: the field keeping him trapped broke down into clusters of data and Drill Man shot forward to hit Napalm Man as he rushed towards him: the blow caught him off-guard and he ended up pushed out of the rooftop and into free fall towards the street: Napalm Man yelped and ignited some jets on his boots.

"Whoa! What was THAT?"

"Noise. Guess it's another ability that black phoenix has…"

"Sheesh. No fair!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Ya lowered the guard, rascals!" Drill Man taunted from the rooftop's edge.

"I wonder about that." Someone interjected.

"Who…?"

"Sonic Boom!"

"Whack! Damn it! You again! Blues!"

"Yeah. Me. I've come to cut you up again."

Blues suddenly landed on the rooftop after shooting a Sonic Boom at Drill Man's back: Drill Man grumbled but then stepped back and jumped into the air: Blues gave chase and dodged some black beams of energy which disrupted the "sky" on their wave and momentarily broke it down into basic polygons.

"Noise beams, huh. Like that'll stop me." Blues muttered.

"SKRA~H!"

"Shit."

The "Jet – Black Phoenix" sprouted and the ensuing tornado pushed Blues away, hitting Napalm Man (who was following him) and making both of them fall without control straight into the street, forming a crater there due to the impact force: Drill Man vanished while a piece of the "sky" began to rebuild itself after it'd broken down into the raw pixels which made it up: both groaned and somehow got to their feet.

"Damn it." Blues growled.

"We were close!" Enzan hissed.

"Shit. My mood's gone, even. I'm goin' back: I need M & F."

"Alright." Leon shrugged.

"Blues! Let's try to salvage data from the sensors!"

"Roger, Enzan – sama."

12:48 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Man! I was SO~ close…"

"Shah, shah, shah! Hey! Napalm Man! Fella! What's up?"

"Needle Man, huh. I was about to beat that Drill Man rascal but escaped at the last second!"

Napalm Man stepped into a Cyber World somewhere which obviously was Golden Star's Cyber World (which had a main avenue and some Warp Points (ten in total) set to the sides, the north and the south of it: the background had Andy's emblem on it plus the silver-colored letters "GS" over the center of the star: Napalm Man had met with a Navi who was close to the northern Warp Point which Napalm Man had used to get inside.

"Oh man! That was regrettable!"

"Sure thin'!"

Needle Man's upper body was shaped like a circle with a dome over it: the color of his choice was navy blue: the front part of the circle had a rectangular vertical cavity cut out with eight slightly curved metallic pieces set in a vertical row.

His face's skin was black, too, he had no nose, his eyes colored yellow with red irises and a smug smile was drawn on his face: a small red vertical rectangle was set on the forehead.

Four needles came out of the dome part of the body (and having an orange circular edge circling the spot from where they sprouted out from) around the head which was drawn inside of a larger needle.

His arms were human-like given how they were attached to the body: orange-colored bands split it in two halves with the upper half being colored navy blue and the lower half tinted sky blue: a needle came out of each shoulder, too: four blackish long fingers were set on the arms.

The armor ended below the torso: the rest of his body's skin was plain black in color plus a small orange spot below the upper body.

The boots began over the knees and followed the same pattern as in the arms: a needle came out from the armor over each knee: they had a small hollow cavity cut close to the heel.

"Shah, shah, shah! The broadcast's ready so…"

"OK! I'm gonna listen to it! See ya!"

"Stay healthy~!"

"Sure!"

Napalm Man headed for the southernmost one of the right-sided Warp Points and entered a sub-hub, a square, with two Warp Points on it, each protected by 3 Cyber Doors and having a label: the right one was labeled "LEON NEDORA & NAPALM MAN" while the left one was labeled "ATARASEI OSCAR & ALEX": he headed for his Warp Point and interacted with the first door.

"1st password: adult musketeer… Rafael of Doma!"

The door unlocked so he proceeded to the next one.

"2nd password: clay and deadly… Heh! Oreichalcos Shunoros!"

The second door unlocked as well so he headed for the last one.

"3rd password: Robocop wannabe… Hah! Armor Deck!"

The last door unlocked and he headed for the Warp Point as they turned on again behind him: he entered it and landed in another Cyber World which had the SONY logo on the background.

"Yo~! Golden Leo~! I'm back!"

"I see. So? Is the new broadcast there?" He calmly asked.

"Sure is! I'm downloading it!"

"Fine."

"Download complete! _Let's radio_~!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just turn it on, will you?"

"OK!"

"… _Action_! Welcome to a new edition of V-B-N! "The Bombers"! Chapter 3 incoming!"

"_Marchando_! "Mortadelo! Filemón! Urgent mission! Come here on the double!"… "ADA~H!"… "AH!"… Mortadelo comes in through the window swinging on a vine and dressed liked Tarzan! "Man! Mr. Super! Don't ya remember that ya sent us on a mission to Tasmania's jungle~? GLGLGL!"… "Brrr! And Filemón! Where's the fella?" … "Here, Mr. Super! And I won't complain anymore about our rivers' pollution!"… "Why's that?"… "Heh! Ya can't image how bug-filled Tasmania's rivers are!"… An alligator had bitten his left leg and didn't want to let go of it!"

"Man." Leon sighed.

"Alligator love~!" Napalm Man laughed.

"… "Grmblf! Outta here, you fatty lizard!"… "Brute!"… Today… Lily, Tozukana Joanne's Navi, volunteered for the voice of the COTD, character of the day, a secretary! Lily!"

"OK. "My. What a puddle. Are there alligators on it?"… She's somewhat the… how should I say it? The type who want to make irony or jokes out of something trivial… She was staring at a puddle formed by a radiator's leak… And the alligator shows up! "AH! AH! A~H!"… And she runs away, almost running out of breath… Meh! Meek gal. I'd rather stare at it with indifference and go to my post, see." She made an ironic comment at the end.

"Thanks, Lily! I owe ya one." Video Man thanked.

"Don't mind it. It was a change of airs."

"… "The "Bombers" will try to place a bomb shaped like a pumpkin under the TV repeater in the mountaintop so as to blow it up… So you must depart ASAP for the mountaintop and stop them!"… "But… How do we get up there?"… "Don't worry. Upon exit you will be given an "all-terrain" by the material fellows…" … "An "all-terrain"… BRRRR!"… It was a mountain goat!" Video Man laughed.

"Lovely."

"Ain't it?"

"… "It's so slow… Hit the accelerator, Boss!"… "Accelerator? Don't act the goat!"… MUNCH! "Ow! S-shouldn't have compared ya with the goat… The poor animal got offended!"… The goat bit his nose and then washed the teeth off with tooth-paste! "Chut! Quiet, Boss! I can hear a very suspicious chat!"… "Yeah… The repeater… Gonna get rid of it!"… "Well done, fella! Good luck!"… "Did ya hear it? It's the terrorist!"… "That on the sack gotta be the bomb! Let's jump over the bushes and we got him!"… It turns out there was a small cliff and that the fellow had crossed over a wooden plank which acted as bridge so… down they went!"

"Man."

"Heh, heh, heh! Down and bang!"

"… "How lucky, eh, Boss? You landed on your feet!"… "Yeah… Dumb luck, even!"… His legs ended up pushed up until the waist! "Devil! See! He's crossing another cliff!"… Using a log, that is… "Yeah, but no crashing into the bottom this time… Let's go!"… "Whoa! I got it wrong and didn't pick my gun!"… He'd picked an eggplant! "Whatever. I'll throw this boulder at the head!"… "You idiot! What are ya doing? That was the boulder holding the log into place! UA~H!"… BLOMPF! … "Why, Boss! You're like cats, eh, you always land on your feet!"… "I'll give ya feet! I'll give ya!"… "Hold back, you beast!"… He ended up with one leg sticking outta the mouth and another sticking over his head!"

"Man. Mortadelo always has to screw it up."

"Nyah, hah, hah."

Leon turned on his video-camera to prove that he looked slightly defeatist and somewhat resigned: a single bed with an open porthole could be spotted over the bed's head.

"… "Look! He's gonna cross over that wall! Let's follow!"… "No! He could see us! We'll jump over here!"… "But, Boss… It's too tall!"… "Let's jump it, then! Hop! I don't drown in a cup of water! WATER!"… SPLASH!"

"What?" Leon frowned.

"Oho?" Napalm Man wondered.

"T-this ain't a wall, it's an aqueduct! UA~H!"… "Boss! Pull up the shirt's neck: it's very cold!"… "Field 3 is already irrigated so I'll shut the flow to diver it to Field 2…" … TCHAC! BLOM! "Why! This year's tadpoles are quite big!"… "And I did warn ya… Ya are so wet! The "Bomber" is resting!"… "Let's jump on him and end this already!"… "Gotcha, bandit!"… "Hand over the bomb, you! Huh? UA~H!"… "Why! What an odd bomb!"… "What bomb and what…? That's "Repeater"!"… "… "Repeater"…?"… "Of course! My parrot!"…"

"No way… The "repeater" wasn't the TV one but a parrot named "Repeater"? And there's no pumpkin bomb? Where the heck does Mr. Super get his info from?" Leon groaned.

"From the Abode of Misinformation!" Napalm Man laughed.

"How brilliant. Coming from you." Leon sighed.

"… "I call it like that 'cause it repeats all we say at home, ya know? And everyone knows what we talk 'bout… That's why I'm going to get rid of it and leave it here on the mountaintop so that it doesn't stink… Got a problem with that?"… "Well! You guys back? Did you succeed? Hey! What are these familiarities! Take your claws off me!"…"

"And Mr. Super has to suffer the consequences of sending them to a vain mission… AGAIN." Leon sighed.

"… "INCREDIBLE VANDALISM!"… "They bring the Superintendent of the "TIA" to the mountaintop, climb him to the TV repeater and leave him hanging by the ears. The fellow, quite annoyed, is looking for those wild aggressors and…"… "Don't hide, no! I'll find ya~! And I'm gonna hang ya from the Empire State by the eyebrows!"… "Do ya think he'll do it, Boss?"… "You shut up and act! Make some sounds!"… M disguises as a cow and F hides inside! End of chapter 3!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! So! Chapter 4 next! I wonder what will happen in there… Don't ya, Golden Leo~?"

"Oh, whatever." Leon sighed.

"… Chapter 4! "Ace re-poker, Tarúguez! Heh, heh! I win!"… "What damned luck ya have! 32 serial games with ace re-poker!"… "Quick, Mortadelo, let's go! Mr. Super calls for us!"… "Boss! Don't be so impulsive, heck!"… F drags M away and reveals that he'd hidden countless ace cards inside of his suit! "Wait, wait. Don't carry 'im away yet. I've got two words to tell 'im!" … PAF! PAF! "Why! I didn't know Tarúguez spoke by signs!"… "Go to crap, Boss!"…"

"Cheating at poker, huh? Somehow it doesn't impress me." Leon wasn't impressed.

"Heh, heh, heh. Oh the despair!" Napalm Man chuckled.

"… "Here we are, Mr. Super!"… "Where are you? What do you want?"… Mr. Super pops his arm out from beneath the desk and signals a wrapped parcel atop it! "Yes. A very cute parcel." … "Sweets from some admirer?"… "Not sweets… Bomb! It's a bomb! I suspect the "Bombers" send it! Take it off my desk! Take it where I can't see it!"… "Done, Mr. Super. Mission completed!"… "Yes? Huff! What a relief! Well, boys… What did you do with it? What did you do?" … "Well. We placed it on your armchair. Seating atop it you don't see it so… You happy?"… BOOM!"

"Oh come on. Why not toss it into the garbage bin?" Leon groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Dunno. Maybe because Litter Man had resigned?"

"… "Whoa! Incredible!"… "He's gone to the upper floor! Without using the stairs, even! But… Mr. Super! What's the matter?"… "We obeyed your orders! We took it off your desk and placed it where you wouldn't see it!"… "Well! The "Bombers" have found the means to sneak into the org and place bombs… I want you to keep an eye out and catch the culprit when he shows up! Get to work!"… "That guy's rather brute, ain't the guy?"… "Shut up and walk! We gotta call the handyman!"… Mr. Super stuffed a water pipe with the faucet across their ears!"

"Really…"

"Pipe Man and Faucet Man!"

"Sheesh."

"… And! We bring upon our fellow Kage who wanted to voice the "Bomber"! Kage: here's the script!"

"OK! Leave it to me! "Heh, heh, heh! That of the bomb in the armchair gave me an idea! I'll do the same: I'll place this pressure bomb under this chair's leather… and another agent will fly off! I think you can't notice it but I'll check it from afar…"… Video!"

"_Action_! "The doors always open! And then we all get a cold! They don't realize that's far more dangerous than a bomb!"… M dresses as soccer player and kicks the door shut as the fellow was walking backwards on his way out! Kage!"

"Heh, heh! "S-someone stop me! Stop me! STOP…!"… BOM!"

"… He plunged head-on into the chair! "Devil! There was another bomb in this sofa and went off alone…!"… The fellow ended up embedded in the room's ceiling!"

"… "GRMBLX! I better switch to straight action!"… The guy takes out an old-fashioned fuse bomb and glares at a corridor's entry… A frightful decaying corpse – like figure walks past and the guys get frozen from the fright, his fake teeth jumping out!"

"… _Marchando_! "Boss! Whaddya think of my disguise? It's named "nightmare by indigestion of chickpeas" and…!" … BAUM! "Devil! Didn't you hear another explosion?"… "Maybe it was Berrúguez, who smokes "Celtics"…"…"

"He ended up atop the safe! "Those two will get to know who Aquilino "Bomb" is!" He draws a grenade! "I'll send it rolling silently across the carpeted floor and…"… A small mechanical broom-man pops out and kicks the grenade back at the source!"

"Shah, shah, shah! "Did you see the mechanical broom – man I bought for my lil nephew, Boss?"… BOUM! "What was that?"…"

"Man. They don't realize it's the bomber?" Leon sighed.

"Apparently not!" Napalm Man laughed.

"Earth, swallow me whole…"

"… "Dear me! What a blow! What a blow!"… He ended up flying outta the city and landing into a cactus! "No failures this time! Aquilino will go all out! A proton bomb hidden in a phone receiver's headphone… And when someone picks it up… Boom! Heh, heh, heh!" … TRRRING! F's phone rings! "Hello~?"…"

"Action! BANG! "Wha! Boss! What a huge sneeze!"… At the doctor's… "Like you heart, friend… It's empty! I'll have to replace all of the pieces!"… The climax is upon us!"

"… "The ultimate solution! Super-concentrated nitroglycerin! Let's check that nobody comes by…" … He leaves the bottle atop a desk and then goes to peek around the corridor corner! M shows up from a nearby door and sees the bottle!"

"… Shah, shah, shah! "Why! A screw cap bottle! I'll do well for the bottle which has the breakfast wine… I'll place a dry cork on this one and that's it…"…"

"… "Aha-hah! No – one in sight! So… I'll softly drop it through the cargo lift which leads to the executive offices and…!"… PLOP!"

"BAOUMMM!" The four of them suddenly exclaimed.

"Whoa!" Leon actually got startled.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah!" Napalm Man laughed.

"… _Marchando_! "Mortadelo! Who slammed the door like that? The whole 5th floor is wrecked!"… "Why should I know, Boss?"…"

"…"Yeah, a bomb! Heh, heh! Place it on this ashtray and the whole building goes up! Heh, heh, heh!"… He ended up in the Moon, mad, burnt, and looked at by some aliens who clearly realized he'd gone mad! And M & F didn't realize anything! End of chapter 4!"

"At last." Leon sighed.

"Mwah, hah, hah. Aliens on the Moon, eh? Maybe they were Haga's Insect – Tribe Monsters!"

"Oh come on."

"Teasers for Chapters 5 & 6! Chapter 5: rocks, ropes and blows! Chapter 6: stamps, an angered Mr. Super and madness! Video!"

"Burn!"

"Needle!"

"V-B-N! Off Air!"

"Man. What madness." Leon muttered.

"Heh! Madness, yeah, but ya have been onboard for about a year by now, haven't ya? I only got built some weeks ago!"

"I know. I somehow survived that. But then again they used to broadcast it through the speakers before. Now you can choose if you wanna listen to it or not." Leon stretched.

"By the way, I thought there was some trouble with some rascal at your school, right? Wanna me to go and smash 'em?"

"Who, Yanada Bruce? Nah! Not worth it: I already taught the jerk a lesson and the school did punish the guy." Leon shrugged it off.

"OK! I'm off to haunting for stray souls! Like that Shadow Man fella out there~! Nyah, hah, hah!" Napalm Man laughed.

He ran off while Leon sighed and shrugged: he then turned serious and leant his nose over his crossed hands.

"… A year, huh… Feels like forever… But I can't shake it off yet… That of 4 years ago… After one day… When Sieg appeared… And it somehow erased my suffering yet… Maybe I should talk it with _Noir_ – san…"

_Golden Star gave me a reason to continue living. So I will grow stronger and face those nightmares of mine… to smash them!_


	4. Chapter 4: Bullet time & show time

**Chapter 4: Bullet time & show time **

18:18 PM (Japan Time), Thursday June the 30th…

"… Okay! Let's go tell Leiter he sucks, Lily~!"

"Sheesh. Joanne – chan. Not again."

"Again AND AGAIN! I'm stubborn! Tozukaa Joanne, Golden Star's Silver – Rank Sniper!"

"There are no ranks and there's only cha and Felix QONG. QONG. Not Leiter."

"Tee, heh, heh."

Two girls were walking down the main corridor in the Golden Star HQ and headed for door on the west wall of it.

"Don't bring up your pointless jokes: Tom and I got no stuff going on and cha know that."

"Don't worry, Lily~! Tommy will go fetch Mommy~!"

"Sheesh."

Lily, the Navi, had a _Goth_ look to her given her use of heels, two metallic loose bracelets in her forearms and a collar with spikes protruding from it around her neck.

Her helmet's forehead had the word "Goth" engraved on it using scarlet red letters and her eyes' irises were also scarlet red: her expression denoted annoyance.

The bodysuit's predominant color was black with some patches of white scattered like stains there and there.

She could be around a meter and sixty or closer to a seventy tall.

She currently looked both annoyed and exasperated.

"Save up your puns for the blog, will cha? If not Felix will beat cha to the simulator once again."

"Hah! Leiter's rusting by now!"

Tozukana Joanne, the Operator, was a girl on her late teens or maybe early 20s.

Her hair was tinted black even though some patches of brown hair could be seen beneath it and her eyes' irises were brown.

She looked smug and amused.

She wore a black leather one-piece suit which covered her body starting slightly beneath the shoulders plus purple leather boots.

Her Link PET was colored purple and black and had the Alphabet "L" character surrounded by a golden edge as emblem.

"Here it is! The Sniper Abode~!"

"Sheesh."

They stepped into a room which had a balcony overlooking a set of 3D cameras and projectors: two platforms with handrails and which could be moved by hydraulic pistons were installed there: there were a guy and a Navi in the NW corner of it.

"Tozukana. Late. 10 minutes."

"Wha~t? Ya clock gotta be wrong! Mine says 18:08! And we'd agreed to meet 18:10!"

"Mine doesn't say so. What do you say, Lily?"

"Mine is on time."

"What's this, a conspiracy by the bitch?"

"Sheesh. Sandra and Ikada are unrelated. You must've messed with it and not bothered to tune it back."

The Operator, sitting on a stool, had short brown hair which had been cut into a military haircut but was largely hidden by a grayish cap with no logos on it whatsoever: his eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses too.

He wore a sleeveless camouflage-colored vest over a black long-sleeved shirt plus a pair of jeans.

His gray and brown PET had the golden-colored Alphabet "T" character drawn as emblem surrounded by a black edge.

He had a sniper rifle on his hands which he was revising giving how the chamber was open: he barely bothered to look up when scolding Tozukana for coming late.

"Leiter! Texan clocks are crappy!"

"I'm from Sri Lanka. And you… know that." He drily replied while making a pause but not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Sheesh. I didn't mean that!"

"And the clock is the PET's clock."

"Tommy! Mommy is calling, did cha know?"

"What did you say? Oh come on."

Tom, the Navi, could easily be around a meter and eighty tall and he had the looks of an assassin to him given his cold scarlet red irises and the total lack of emotion on his face.

Other traits included self-inflicted cuts over his upper chest which looked like a count of victims: a total of 17 cuts had been engraved in there insofar.

His main bodysuit color was gray combined with red armlets around the ankles and wrists: his hands had an extra layer of "skin" colored brown and he also sported a utility belt around the waist set with some grenades and knives on them plus a Makarov pistol.

He was holding a pair of binoculars on his hands and the fund hung from his neck: he looked annoyed and exasperated at Tozukana's joking.

"Less idiocies. Start simulation."

"Acknowledged." A computer voice acknowledged.

Both climbed into the platforms (Lily picked a pair of binoculars as well) and they got surrounded by a 3D city formed by the cameras: both drew their rifles and began to scout the area.

"Alright! Who's today target? Hum! Some sneaky fella up to something sneaky and sneaky!" She made up some lame joke.

"Sheesh. You mean a gangster-looking guy…" Lily corrected with obvious annoyance.

"They apparently are a lead to some big boss…" Tom read from an information screen.

"Monitoring." Qong summed up in one word.

"In essence."

Qong merely kept an eye on the suspect (occupying the 2nd floor of an apartment building) while Tozukana fumed and looked impatient: Lily wasn't surprised and Tom shrugged.

"Who the fuck programmed this?"

"Guess Slur – sama wanted to test our patience." Lily suggested.

"Sheesh. Like it'll be of help!"

"A sniper must know to wait for their prey." Tom scolded.

"Tommy~! Go see mommy~!"

"Target. Movement. Bike. NNW."

"What? Oho! About time!"

"It's only been 79 seconds, ya know."

"Oh shut up."

They both looked on how the gangster drove across the city with a bike and then ended up reaching another house: they got down and then climbed to the rooftop where another man was at.

"So that's the boss, eh? 660 yards and NNW wind…"

"Wait. Change of wind." Qong instructed.

"Too bad we don't have the "Wind Baton", eh?" Tozukana grinned and laughed.

"Oh come on." Lily sighed.

"What's that?" Tom asked.

"Some fantasy game artifact to change the wind's direction…"

"Hmpf…" Qong was unimpressed.

"Now! Gotcha!"

Tozukana quickly drew and shot but hit the subordinate while Qong merely took his time to get ready, changed his angle, and effectively hit the boss, bringing him down, while Tozukana missed because her angle made her bullets be deviated by the wind.

"Shit!" She cursed.

"Simulation: over."

The simulation ended and two results screen opened: Tozukana cursed upon seeing hers while Qong made no comment altogether: she hissed and howled something under her breath before directing a murderous glare at Lily who didn't flinch.

"Why didn't ya tell me the right direction?"

"I'm only supposed to help signal the targets. You told me so."

"Shit! Next time I'll win! Just ya win!"

She stormed off the room while Qong shrugged and calmly jumped back into the ground.

"Maybe some air will do." He drily muttered.

"I'm off to fetching news in the Reverse Internet. See ya, Tom." Lily announced.

"Later, Lily. Let's see who today's rascal is…" He snickered.

19:34 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Flee, you lot of fools! My magic will CURSE you lot!"

"Flee!"

"That guy's too strong!"

"Damn it! Our hacked money cache!"

"This money now belongs to Jet Black Phoenix! Go, my Viruses! Bring it to our Lord's side and let us receive His commends!"

"Heh, heh, heh. I don't think so."

"Who dares to interfere? You shall be cursed!"

"I'm SO scared. Blue Man."

"W-WHAT? DEGRADING ME~?"

"Of course. Instead of going down in glory ya preferred to "die another day" like Colonel Moon!"

"Who goes there~?"

"Your worst doom: the dooming doom!"

"W-WHAT?"

"Heh! Evil Corvus! Shunoros! And ya are Magic Man! Former "Crimson Lobby"!"

A Net Navi had been raiding a small building somewhere and seizing some data cubes while forcing the Heel Navis to flee: someone's voice boomed out and he began to look around.

This Navi, Magic Man, could be about a meter and eighty tall and his main motif was that of a wizard.

His face was designed in an odd manner: he had two yellow plain dots which were his eyes yet he lacked nose or mouth and instead a triangle-shaped white extension formed below the eyes and curved out outwards as if was meant to be a wizard's beard.

He had a blue wizard's hat over his head which contained a small dome-shaped ruby jewel on the base of it before the hat's main body began: two white extensions popped out from the base at opposite sides of it and stretched towards the rear: maybe they were horns.

His shoulders were small spheroids colored sea blue and they had a spear popping out of the NW and NE corners respectively and aiming backwards: his Navi emblem was set over the spheroids and close to his head.

The emblem consisted on the following: to begin with it had two parallel purple bars in the center of it with a black dot in each one's center: two half-domes colored black were set on the sides of the central bars and each had a purple dot in the middle of them: the edge was cyan in color.

His arms looked like the wide sleeves of a tunic and they expanded in size before they ended in a cyan stripe before two ruby domes which were placed were the hands should be at.

His chest was sea blue and had a cyan stripe spanning down across its height from the neck to the waist: the waist was cyan as well.

His lower body was shaped like a cone made up of 3 levels which went on growing on size: their main color was sea blue yet they had the central cyan stripe spanning down across the height of the whole set: the sides had a drawing which consisted of a large purple diamond with two miniature ones placed at the west and east sides of each: the same drawing repeated in the other two levels.

His feet were brown and seemed to resemble old-style boots with a bluish triangle in the front of each.

"Show your hide!" Magic Man demanded.

"Show me your moves, Mujura's Sorcerer!"

"W-WHAT?"

"Did Dully – chan mess with the output of your attacks, maybe~?"

"Damn it! I knew it! The bulky rascal wasn't trustable!"

"Heh, heh, heh! The Evil Corvus has descended!"

His helmet's topmost spot had a small diamond-shaped purple piece of armor directly over his head to shield it despite the rear of it being open and unprotected: the dominant color here was a shade of metallic-like gray coloring plus two small parallel lines which looked like a reclined seat symbol when seen from the profile, starting on the forehead's armor lower edge and reaching until the end of the helmet's length.

He had two large wing-like extensions popping out of both sides of the head: a pair of transparent reddish shades protected his eyes.

The chest armor's centermost spot contained the Alphabet initials "EC" painted in blood red color there.

The armor included a partial ring around the base of the neck to shield it and a thin orange stripe signaling the border between the neck's base and the start of the armor: the frontal plate protruded out of it while forming a shape reminiscent of a hexagon yet slightly different at the same time.

The shoulders' armor included orange stripes which got thinner as they headed for the outer edges and two extensions aiming downwards like triangles protecting part of the arms: two small wing-like triangles originated on the eastern and western sides of the shoulders' armor and extended in a diagonal angle.

The forearms and boots design was a total copy of that of the other "Shunoros" members colored on his own shade of gray coloring and having metallic soils on the boots.

He obviously had the pendant on his neck as well.

"Corvus Claws!"

"Magic F…!"

"Too slow! Gramps!"

"Gruah!"

"Heh, heh, heh!"

Evil Corvus drew sharp claws on each hand over each finger and swung SW, SE and upwards thus hitting Magic Man's chest just as he was extending his arms forward and was about to attack: Magic Man recoiled and Evil Corvus chuckled.

"Now! "Fly"!"

"What?"

Evil Corvus snickered and suddenly beat his wings and flew upwards at a mad speed: he then dived for Magic Man and accelerated to fly past him but ramming into him nevertheless and scratching his chest armor.

"Damn it! Magic Shadow Clone!"

Magic Man glowed and formed a circle of "Shadow Clones" which began to swap places at a mad speed: Evil Corvus chuckled as his body began to glow flames sprouted and formed the silhouette of a gigantic bird as he shot forward and hit all of the "Shadow Clones".

"Did you like my "God-Bird"?"

"Damn it all! Magic Saber!"

"Heh, heh, heh. "Fury Swipes"!"

Evil Corvus swiped Magic Man five times from the NE, the NW, the SE, plus the SW and from the bottom to the top of his torso.

"Magic Saber!"

"Slow!"

"Magic Fire!"

"Ugrah! Too close to dodge…!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! And now!"

"What now."

"Behold! Go! Mettools SP!"

"METTO~!"

Evil Corvus blocked the Magic Saber with his right hand but Magic Man then aimed his arms forward and shot two streams of bluish flames which hit Evil Corvus due to his proximity: he then lifted both arms and summoned 10 Mettool SP Viruses which assaulted Evil Corvus with their pickaxes from different angles.

"I'll take your neck to my Lord!"

"I object! Wind Cutter!"

"Uack!"

"_Video Man, I'll be back_!"

"What! You're Golden Star's Video Man!"

"Yessir!"

A new Navi joined the fray.

He had a black face and his irises were colored green.

He had a metallic structure set around and atop the head which included two dials on the sides of it and three connection ports colored yellow, white and red from left to right.

The Net Navi's body's main color was black but he had a round "play" symbol colored green set on the middle of the chest with two round buttons on both sides of it: a shape reminiscent of the Alphabet letter "V" was set above the "play" symbol plus a round circle drawn around on the base of his neck.

His shoulders were shaped like spheroids but were different: the left one was gray metallic while the right one was black with a red dome-shaped piece set atop it.

His arms' "skin" was black in color, too, but he had two parallel circular green stripes set slightly beneath the shoulder: his forearms were metallic and had some kind of tape set on them which interconnected with each other: his hands were colored black, too, and had no outstanding features on either of them.

The rest of his torso was colored black and it had another green-colored shape reminiscent of the Alphabet letter "V" set on it towards the spot where a person's stomach would be at.

His legs had four small "V" shape stripes set on a vertical row around the hips: four of them.

Another two circular stripes parallel to each other were placed around the knees and on the ankles: his feet were shaped like rectangles.

"I could've gotten outta that spot myself!" Evil Corvus growled.

"_Tsundere_ type, eh? The type who try to pose like they needn't any help but they really thank it deep inside." Video Man chuckled.

"GRMBHTL!" He howled something undecipherable.

"I'll bury you lot! Go! Mettools!"

"I object! Here! Bug Fragments!"

"METTO~!"

"Shit. Forgot about that!"

Video Man tossed some Bug Fragments and the Mettools began to absorb them while dancing in a circle: Magic Man growled and didn't see Evil Corvus showing up behind him and swiping his back several times with the claws: Video Man chuckled and made a taunting gesture at Magic Man who fell for it and rushed for Video Man.

"Tapeline! Fast Escape!"

Some tapeline began to flow out of nowhere and form intersecting patterns to make it harder for Magic Man to attack Video Man: Video Man warped while Magic Man swung his Magic Saber around: Video Man landed in one of the ceiling steel beams and signaled his chest: it had the "REC" symbol on it.

"What!" Magic Man gasped.

"Hmpf…" Evil Corvus snickered.

"Witness! My masterpiece! Playback! Playback! Playback!"

He extended the tape between his armlets and it began to glow with a bluish glow: it projected a cone of blue energy and some copies of Magic Man with the Magic Saber began to materialize one after the other: they all began to copy the moves Magic Man had used earlier and he soon found himself surrounded and attacked from countless angles: he growled and swung the Magic Saber like mad.

"Damn it all! Interlopers!"

"Hmpf." Evil Corvus snickered.

"Careful there, my fellow… I know one trick these fellows have up their sleeves…" Video Man warned.

"Ah. The "noise shockwave"… But aren't these based off your tape? Tape isn't digital so it shouldn't be affected by signal noise, right?" Evil Corvus seemingly recalled.

"Oh. True. I beat DVD and Blu – Ray to that. Heh, heh, heh." Video Man chuckled.

"Argh! Enough of this farce! I'll have your neck first!"

Magic Man jumped off and flew towards Video Man but he calmly extended his armlets' tape and blocked Magic Man's Magic Saber: he gasped and Video Man easily repelled him.

"Given how it's got "rare metal" on it then my ultra-high grade videotape won't be cut so easily!" He announced.

"Shit!"

"Forgetting me, rascal? Eat this! Fury Swipes!"

"Ugrah!"

Evil Corvus hit his back 5 times in a row and Magic Man collapsed into the ground: the Mettools then attacked him while looking annoyed and he struggled to shake them off: the video copies joined the fray and chaos ensued.

"DAMN THEM ALL!"

Magic Man formed the "Jet Black Phoenix" and the ensuing tornado wiped off the copies and sent the Mettools flying across the warehouse: one hit Evil Corvus' forehead, momentarily stunning him, and another impacted on Video Man's chest, making him lose the balance and fall into the ground: when the phenomenon vanished there was no trace of Magic Man left in there.

"Ran, huh. Whatever. This should stir up some in-fighting… And whatever ya say I don't owe ya anything!" He warned Video Man.

"Fine. Do as you like." He shrugged.

Evil Corvus warped out of the space and then opened a holographic screen to display his face without the helmet.

He had blackish hair which was combed in a neat manner and extended until the base of the neck while his eyes' irises were blue in coloring: he looked smug.

"I'm Urateido Samuel. And beware of my claws. Heh, heh, heh. They might hurt more than a hawk's!"

"We'll see 'bout that, my fellow enchanted by Uncle Moriarty!"

"HMPF!"

Urateido shut down his screen and Video Man shrugged before walking out of the building and into Internet City while humming a tune: he did check around and spotted Guts Man having a brawl with some Heel Navis over something.

"Guts, guts! Guts Punch Smash!"

"Go, Guts Man! Beat 'em to a pulp! I'll be Emperor Ooyama He Who Reigns In The Mountain!" Dekao exclaimed.

"The summer heat, my fellows, the summer heat…" Video Man muttered with some amusement.

"Guts, guts! Guts Kick Crash!"

20:07 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Phew! Feels good to come back to _Purgatory_ once in a while, doesn't it, Akemi?"

"Sure, Martha – chan."

"Hey. Suzuki. Ya back on board?"

"Joanne – san, it's been a while! Is everyone healthy?"

"Guess that."

A girl and her Navi dropped down from an off-board engine boat into the deck of the ship which was the Golden Star HQ.

The girl, Suzuki Martha, appealed to be in her late teens and had long brown hair reaching past her shoulders and up until the waist: her eyes' irises were brown too and she had a good profile.

She wore a simple white sleeveless t-shirt with the Empire State drawn into it, jeans and white socks plus a pair of white sneakers.

She also sported the arm-strap for a Link PET colored teal brown and yellow and having the Alphabet "A" character colored golden and set inside of a brownish-edged circle as emblem.

"You look down."

"No wonder, Akemi! I lost to Leiter! The CIA rascal!"

"Isn't that joke outdated by now, Joanne – san?"

"Says the gal!"

Tozukana happened to be leaning her arms on the handrail and looking out into the sea while munching chewing gum: she sounded much if not totally annoyed.

"So? What happened in the DNN as of late, ya two?"

"Not much. Now they want to talk about the Chicago tale…"

"Oh yeah. Those rascals' madness…"

"I see Lily over there. I'm going to have a chat with her."

"Alright."

"And a kiss?"

"Joanne – san: I'm not _yuri_. End of the tale."

Akemi, the Navi, appealed as being around a meter and seventy tall: her main body color was teal brown accompanied by greenish irregular stains across her bodysuit.

Her helmet had the drawing of a flower on the forehead and her eyes' irises were green emerald: her face was smooth and slightly attractive when seen from a profile.

Her forearms and boots had three consecutive greenish rings drawn across them: each ring had some small yellowish stains scattered inside of them at random.

Some greenish hair flowed out from behind her helmet and reached until the shoulders.

She'd spotted Lily standing next to one of the buildings and looking at a holographic screen: when she began to head there Tozukana made a sexist joke which Akemi didn't like and Suzuki didn't, either.

"Man! It's a joke! But I think we're missing some _yuri_ here! Don't ya wanna have some with the bitch, Suzuki?" Tozukana laughed.

"No, Joanne – san. I'm not _yuri_ although I've got nothing against them: and if that's all the conversation you can offer then I'm off: maybe Bertha – san can tell far more _intelligent_ things."

"Hah! I knew it. Ya wanna have fun with the bitch."

"Ahem, ahem."

"Yikes!"

"Ah. Ms. Secretary. Good timing, ma'am."

"So it would seem! Tozukana! You! What do we need to do?"

"Sheesh! I was jokin', ya know!"

"I rather think you are insulting their prides."

A woman appeared on the scene and the very air seemed to chill upon her appearance: Tozukana turned around, annoyed, to face her.

She appealed to be on her late thirties.

Her face's shape looked nice but if one tried to look at it as a profile then it lost most of its charm.

She sported a black hat set to that it hid her gaze and she wore a black blouse plus a pair of jeans and rain boots as well.

"Come with me to Vice President _Noir_'s office: you need some days off _Purgatory_ at your aunt's place. You are bringing shame to your aunt with every time we need to do this. If you cannot behave or respect the honor of the others… You could be expelled for some months, even. It was about time we drew a red line regarding your behavior and which you cannot trespass." The secretary scolded.

"Sheesh."

Tozukana grudgingly followed her further inside while Akemi rolled her eyes and greeted Lily by waving the right hand: she calmly waved it back and shrugged.

"Don't mind the gal: she gets cocky and ya know." Lily told her.

"I know. Did anything happen regarding those phoenix guys?"

"We're pending 3. We know 1 of them is that Dullahan fella. And "Shunoros" seems to know something we don't. It'd seem it's become a race to see who finds the "ghost" first."

"I see. Did those 3 keep up with the comic?"

"Sure. See, they now uploaded the newest one."

"Why don't we check it out?"

"Why not. Let's sit down."

They sat down leaning their backs against the wall as Lily interacted with Tozukana's PET (which she had on the right hand): she entered a website called "GS Nerds" and spotted a post titled "Bombers – Chapters 5 & 6" which had an embedded WAV file.

"… Welcome, once again, to V – B – N! Today! Chapter 5 of "The Bombers"! Start! _Action_! "GRMBLXJ! Where the heck did those two idiots go to…?"… "Heh, heh, heh! Gotcha, Boss… Take out the 100 Z!" … "Not yet! HMPFFF!"… Both are pulling a rope from both ends to decide the winner of 100 Z! Mr. Super takes out a couple scissors and calmly cuts it so both end up hitting the wall with their heads! "Well, boys, now that you've run out of rope pay attention… Our agent Omblíguez, who caught a "Bomber", is going to Villatacatá… And we fear that, as vengeance, the accomplices may bomb him in the road… So! You're going to scout the terrain and if you find some bomb… Disable it." … "Of course! And if the thing disables us then WHAT?"… "All's been foreseen! If that happened then our special vehicle for dangerous situations will collect you!"… "Rubble and varied remains"… "He's pure-hearted, eh, Boss? He doesn't want us to end up as vulture food!"…"

"Pure-hearted? Why do I feel SO skeptical about that?" Akemi brought up with some irony.

"Welcome to the club." Lily ironically replied.

"Hey. Ya got room for another member?" Sandra joined them.

"Sure. Gals stick together."

"Thanks. Bertha – chan's idiocies got the best of me and I needed some fresh air so…"

"… "Well. Let's get to work. Start the scouting!"… "Like the Comanche, Boss! Hum! Those bushes strike as suspicious! I'll poke with a stick to see if there's some explosive hidden there…"… "UWA~H!"… "B-Boss! Who'd thought that ya too…? Come on, don't exaggerate! I contributed to taking wax off your ears!"… The stick went through the ears!"

"Oh come on." Sandra sighed.

"… "What a hole! It's almost saying "hide a bomb here", even!"… "What a cavity! It's almost saying "hide a bomb here", even!"… "I'll drop a boulder inside and if it sounds metallic then there's a bomb."… CLOMPF! "It doesn't sound metallic… More like dead cat…"… The boulder hit F's head because he was under the cliff's hole! "BOSS! Man! How delicate! You get annoyed at nothing, man!"… "Hum! This hollow trunk's hole could even hide a torpedo inside… Let's see if I can check it out without breaking my shirt…"… "What? I spot something spherical! The bomb, of course! This corrosive acid should make dust outta the timer… Devil! It wasn't a bomb but the Boss' head! Boss! Don't be mad! Don't…! Sheesh! What a short-tempered fella~!"… F gripped M's right feet, he swung him around and ended up in Egypt, in front of the Pyramids! He hit a camel on the head and the rider cursed M!"

"Man. M sure brings trouble around." Lily muttered.

"… "Well! Now that M's missing I can resume the search in a paced and relaxed manner… A bridge! The ideal spot to place a bomb at! I'll use this rope to examine the underside! Aha! No danger! It'd bear a hippopotamus' weight, even! Let's go!"… "What a walk! Pfff! I'm dead… Huh? What's this rope across the bridge? I get it! The car comes in at top speed, it hits the rope and then the bomb goes off…! Clever! But I'm here to prevent any disasters!"… "UA~H!"… "T-that voice… I think that it's on its way… B-BOSS! W-well, we could discuss the affair in a civilized manner, right? No! This guy is a Patagonian savage~!"… F crushes him under a gigantic boulder!"…"

"Prevent disasters and he starts one, huh?" Akemi wasn't impressed to begin with.

"… "My head aches! I'll wet the handkerchief and place it atop my head to cool it. I'd need a string to keep it on place."… "See, Boss, there's one in here! Say bye to the headache!"… BLOM! "Y-you idiot! It's the bomb's wire! They tried to trigger a rock avalanche when the car came! And it's coming! Go search the detonator and disable it!"… "Yeah, Boss! Heh, heh! Following the wire I'll soon find it!"…"

"So there _was_ a bomb this time around." Sandra muttered.

"… "We've been found!"… "Let's run! Quick!"… "What's the matter?"… "Don't worry, Omblíguez, we found the bomb! Mortadelo is disabling the detonator!"… "Here! Trunk hit and the detonator is crippled!"… BOOM!"

"Sheesh. Don't tell me he actually triggered it by trying to crush it: it's gotta be the old-style one with the lever and he ended up pushing the lever down. Why couldn't he cut the wire?" Akemi sighed.

"He's dumb: dumber than a gorilla for all we know."

"… "Make it explode in front of my noses…!"… "Mortadelo! Mortadelo~!"… "BE~H! BE~H!"… End of chapter 5! Both guys, wrapped with bandages, looked for M using wheel-chairs while M disguised as a goat! And now let's move to Chapter 6!"

"Let's see what'll happen this time around."

"… "Yes! An explosive stamp… The Philately Institute's foundations will shake! Heh, heh! What a bomb! What a bomb!"… One fella chatting to another and displaying a red stamp: M, disguised as a dog, hears the chat from behind a tree! BLOF! "Why! How silly of me. Excuse me, young gentleman."… "But of course, ma'am, but of course… Devil! T-trading car of "Maya the Honey Bee"! Where's my stamp?"… "Heh, heh, heh! I'm so good at swapping stuff! Yeah, Boss, explosive! The "Bomber" planned to use it to blow up the Philately Institute!"… "Despite it being so small and all… These "Bombers" are getting innovative!"… SNEEZE! "The stamp! You moron! If it explodes we all go up!" … "Boys… Do you know something to soothe stomach dilating…?"… BLOF! "S-splendid procedure! Drastic and cutting!"… "I… I…" … "And I hope that, after this, you'll sit the head!"… "Y-yes, sir, yes… Grrr! And if you sneeze in front of me again…!"… "I won't, Boss!"…"

"Man. Chaos already began? F hit Mr. Super's stomach with the head while chasing the stamp thing, huh?" Andy joined them coming from the south.

"Hey. Andy. Join the club."

"Sure. Well. Miquel – kun and I settled that of the other day so…"

"I guess Legato had something to say about it?"

"Oh yeah. He helped me see that I'm being too nitpicking."

"… "See? I apply anti-flu inhalation and…" PFFF! "A~GH! It's gonna blow up!"… "I'll catch it, Boss! Huff! I caught it before it hit the floor!"… M's spray can was aiming in the wrong direction! "Splendid! So you're sitting your head, huh? If there's something I can't stand then that's clowns!"… "Mortadelo! Would you mind opening your cutie mouth a bit?" … "Like this, Boss?"… "That's it! LIKE THIS!"… "BRUTE!"… He stuffed a typing machine into his mouth!"

"Sheesh." Andy sighed.

"… "And the stamp? Where is it at?"… "There, Boss, in the cushioned chair you were sitting at, so that it remains bland…" … "I'm tired! Hitting the subordinates tires me out! No! Don't! No! Phew! Another little bit and it'd been crushed!"… BLOM! "Well! You've gotten attached to the cushioned chair, EH?"… "What? No, I…"… "All of it! The metallic legs included!"… "Y-yes… Munch… Sir… Munch, munch, crunch…"… "You're getting some fats, eh, Boss? Why don't you try out a diet? FATMAN! YOU FATMAN!"… Mr. Super forced him to eat it up and F then hit M!"

"Mr. Super is misunderstanding it all, as usual." Andy muttered.

"As usual indeed." Sandra shrugged.

"Chaos ensues." Akemi settled.

"Yeah. The craziest agency in the world." Lily rolled her eyes.

"… "We'll have to disable this stamp: maybe by cutting it up…"… "Stop, you fool! It may explode when split!"… "OK, OK… Hardened steel scissors: where did they go to?"… "Are you looking for a couple scissors, maybe?"… "Yes! Did you see them?"… "NO! BUT I FELT THEM!"… They ended up stabbing his rear! "I'll give your scissors! I'm going to weed you! I'm going to…!"… "I-I'm innocent, man! Boss is to blame! Weed your back! Another little bit and I get cut up!"… "Devil! The guy again!"… "Why, Boss! Hand over hand, as usual! Eh?"… "Wrong! I've got the stamp here!"… "Why! You're shielding it? Does it feel cold?"…"

"How is a stamp going to feel cold, anyway?" Andy sighed.

"Dunno." The girls shrugged.

"… "No! But if I open them I'm sure that you sneeze!"… "Boss! I swear that I don't intend to sneeze!"… "Well then, I'll open them and…"… COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! "But, Boss! I didn't sneeze! I'm not to blame I coughed, see!"… "On the floor! It's on the floor again!"… "Gotcha, Boss! Wet it and it'll surely become unable to explode!"… "That's it! Gimme, gimme that!"… "Why! A stamp! Maybe it's got some value." … "Take siphon, you damned!"… "Very grateful and now… Couldn't you give me a couple ice cubes?"… PTOF! PTOF! PTOF! "What a beast Boss is! How he holds on!"… Mr. Super began to smash him with a steel beam and M began to count the rounds on the wall using chalk!"

"Sheesh. Mr. Super and his tempers… Why didn't tell him that it was but a coincidence?"

"… "Come on, Boss, it was but a beam! If he hit ya with the whole house then…"… "Devil! The thief who stole the stamp by disguising as a granny! Give it back, rascal!"… "And you've got the guts to claim it back? I know it's an explosive stamp!"… "Truly explosive! It's the world's very first stamp! Jeremy of Macedonia used it on his Magna Letter! A real Philatelic "boom"!"…"

"Oh come on! So the whole struggle was in vain because it was "explosive" in the figurative sense that it'd be explosive news and it wasn't a real explosive stamp?" The four of them groaned.

"… "Mortadelín… So! An "explosive" stamp, eh?"… "Well, Boss, looks deceive, I…"… "Don't run, no! Looks deceive! This ain't Toledo steel! It's Soria cast iron!"… "I don't run, Boss! I throttle! Throttle!"… F drew a gigantic sword to chase M, who disguised as a centaur! End of chapter 6, our audience! Guys! Video!"

"Burner!"

"Needle!"

"V-B-N! Off Air! See ya 'round!"

"Huff."

"Teasers for chapters 7 & 8! Chapter 7: bags, brutes and boxing! Chapter 8: widows, infiltrations and ovens!"

"Why do I feel like there'll more misunderstandings from here onwards to begin with?" Andy muttered.

"Dunno. Ask Mr. Unknown." Kage popped out from the right and laughed at his joke.

"How original, cha." The girls told him.

"My. I got praised by 3 beautiful ladies come out of the Olympus, haven't I?" He tried to sound gallant.

"You suck at that. Miquel – kun." Andy drily told him.

"Well… Maybe, yeah…"

His PET beeped and he drew it to spot the "Shunoros" emblem onscreen: a familiar voice rang out.

"Yo. _Danna_. Did ya see how the Wizard of Oz got his arse kicked by my fellow conspirer?"

"Eisei. Yeah. Video Man told me. Guess the guy got the summer heat down to his processor and couldn't think of using some new trick like the others. Oh well. That should prove to them that they aren't invincible as they thought." Kage calmly replied.

"Heh, heh, heh. I'll spoiler ya~… The decaying noble is coming out next, ya see~… Heh, heh, heh!"

"Oh yeah? No surprise."

"Maybe your fellow conspirer will show up next time?"

"Who? Alex? Guess that. It depends on what he decides."

"He and my old comrade, Atarasei~…"

"Guess that."

"Heh, heh, heh. Yo and behold! I've got 6 badges already!"

"I've got 5. But I'm close to the 6th one anyway."

"Fuuro ane-ue-sama is as sexy as always! Looks like she could teach some "d" lessons! Heh, heh, heh! Homika – sama looks too thick-headed for that so… And Iris – sama would better go fight her namesake!"

"Oh come on. Don't start with the namesake jokes." Andy fumed.

"Kamitsure – sama looks like she'd rather be classical!"

"Oh yeah?" The girls shot back.

"My. The Elegant and Gallant Sisters of Doom and Dismay!"

"T-THIS RASCAL!" The three of them snapped.

"Fuck me." He giggled.

"Ah no! We won't fall for that trap. Go tuna." They fumed.

"Delighted. Oi. Urateido. Get me some tuna."

"Tuna? What for?" Urateido asked in the background.

"To become Tuna Man!"

"How idiotic. I'm off."

"And Aloe – sama looks like she could use as fun for a night! Her husband gotta be more boring than a Silicon Valley tech nerd!"

"GRAY~! MY ANGER IS GOING TO BE TERRIBLE~!" Kuroban roared very close by.

"YEA~RGH!"

The line got cut off and Kage sighed along with Andy while the girls began to whisper amongst them in an annoyed tone of voice and then nodded in agreement before running off.

"Guess they'll go report to Kuroban what the rascal said. Oh well."

_But we've made no progress… We still don't know who the "ghost" is…!_


	5. Chapter 5: Grudge strength dead end

**Chapter 5: Grudges, strength and dead ends**

06:45 AM (Indianapolis Time), Saturday July the 2nd…

"… Here am I, Colonel."

"Shadow Man. About time."

"My bad. It was hard enough to shake off all those pursuers those diehard fools set on me."

"So?"

"Sadly… None of them knew anything about the "ghost"… But there's a rumor dating some years ago…"

"Oh? That might be worth it. What do you think? Barrel."

"Let's listen. And we'll decide."

"Good. Tell me."

"Right now…"

Shadow Man entered a section of the Ameroupe Army Base Colonel was in charge of: Colonel looked slightly impatient while Shadow Man was calm and he shrugged: Barrel opened his window when Colonel called out to him and he had a poker face on.

"It's a rumor going back some years… It's said that there's "someone" who always happened to snatch off schematics of battle-use Navis just as they were about to be programmed… And no encryption could seemingly stop that "someone" from getting copies of the actual Navi data… And that "someone" was present when they were being deleted to salvage something before it all got lost…" He explained.

"Hum. That must be the "ghost": that'd explain where he got the data to rebuild Navis and how to keep their memories and personality… It then stores it on "kits" within their "ghost server" ready to be sold off to whoever is in need of them…" Colonel rubbed his chin.

"Yeah. There's more, though…"

"Rumors?"

"Actual info I heard from other mercenaries… Some have recalled that they've been hired by someone who went by the name of "Wraith" and they never knew who they were… Their jobs were somewhat odd: go back to scenes where Navis had been deleted, fetch up sensor data, and erase a specific portion of the records… The Navis were told not to see the contents or they would be deleted so they all obeyed…"

"I see. To ensure that no – one could ID them by using sensor data records when an investigation on the scene began… He erased the records before-hand by employing proxies…" Barrel muttered.

"Indeed. I got employed for one such job: break into a certain PC and erase some of its sensor data to swap it for another… That was some days before the "Dream Virus" activation… I've later figured out that PC belonged to Hino Kenichi, Operator of Fire Man EXE who would later be upgraded into Flame Man EXE… WWW Member… And later an agent of the "Four Dark Heavenly Kings"…" He detailed.

"So the "ghost" wanted data on them too… And since Elec Man of the WWW has been spotted it's not crazy to think that either Fire Man or Flame Man have been revived, too…"

"I, of course, didn't attempt to copy the data for my profit: I could constantly feel, on the edge of my sensors, a "presence"… They used some kind of "Dream Aura" of "noise" to mess with my sensors and make me unable to get a lock on their location or who they were. I didn't want to be killed there so I did as told in the contract… Once I fulfilled it I immediately got the agreed reward plus an extra 33% so I got outta there and never went back… until recently." He narrated.

"So the "ghost" has a Navi which uses "noise" to hide its presence, hires proxies to delete sensory data, and stalks them to make sure they don't go beyond the written clauses… Sounds like something an agent from some intelligence agency would do, even. The NSA or NRO, even." Colonel suggested.

"It's but a probability." Barrel warned.

"I know. Not like I plan on butting my nose there…"

"By the way… Speaking of butting the nose… Are you sure our chat is secure?" Shadow Man glanced around.

"Yeah. This room is built to be sound-proof. And I did check that the two soldiers stationed outside are genuine. I dismissed them just in case, anyway… And I did make sure no – one else but you came in through any of the Warp Points. The sensors don't report anything odd and we designed them to be read-only: they can't be altered by someone who isn't me." Colonel detailed.

"Good enough."

"Too bad, Big Boss!" Someone announced.

"Who?" Colonel growled.

"I'm somewhere in the real world and I managed to get access to a console which some guy left open: I saw the guy smoking some sneaky stuff as well! Heh, heh, heh."

"I thought we'd gotten rid of the smuggled marijuana?" Barrel grumbled at Colonel.

"Tomahawk Man told me so. I suspect the intruder brought it along to begin with."

"Oh no! You stopped the _inflow_ but the guys here don't wanna let go of it so easily so they're hiding it there and there! Like Snake managed to smuggle cigarettes using his stomach taking profit of an injection which stopped his stomach acids, see~!"

"By all the… We'll have to have them undergo X-Ray or what? And then the Republicans will come criticize us too. The last thing we needed by now! We scored some points in our favor by hitting a proxy of the "Crimson Lobby" and now this could wreck it all." Barrel grumbled.

"Don't blame me! The guys here want excitement!"

"The army doesn't exist to have excitement!"

"Blame Hollywood!"

"I know." Colonel growled.

"Who's there?" Dingo's voice rang out from close by.

"Yo. _Danna_. Greet my lil girls."

"Whah! Where did these horse-riding girl fighters come out from?"

"The Valhalla, of course! Mr. Ding o' ding."

"Quit it with that nickname!" Dingo complained.

"Valhalla?" Barrel frowned.

"It rings a bell somewhere…" Shadow Man admitted.

"Yo! Tommy Man! Did ya visit Uncle Hans?"

"Who's Uncle Hans to begin with?" Tomahawk Man sighed.

"Your worst nightmare: the road-maker!"

"Oh yeah? I'm SO scared, ya know."

"Sensor data! NOW!" Colonel commanded.

The sensor data turned on and a screen opened to display a room with a console on it: a guy was sitting on the revolving chair in front of it and glancing at Dingo, who'd come in from the left.

This guy could be around Leon's height and age: his face shape was very similar to his as well.

His white hair was way more uncared for than Leon's: he had red eye irises instead as well.

He sported a black sleeveless t-shirt with a "broken heart" drawing colored purple, blackish shorts with a brown leather belt and brown sandals.

"Who are ya?" Dingo questioned again.

"Heh, heh, heh. This world's – which you guys name Earth – current…"

"Current… What?"

"Demon Tribe Chief! Siegfried! I don't mind if you affably call me Lord Sieg, either." He laughed.

"How did ya get inside?" Dingo demanded.

"Heh! I'm a guy of "Shunoros"! We can come in at free! Ask Search Man how our pal End Angel got inside his base so easily!"

"I'd heard of that. The problem is that, once they reach the outer firewall, they can jump to the real world, and, from there, connect into a console from the inside thus skipping security…" Shadow Man let out.

"Sheesh. The last thing we needed." Barrel fumed.

"Heh, heh, heh. So! Mr. Ding – o' – ding! Did ya see BW086?"

"What's that?" Dingo frowned.

"_Check it out_ on Bulbapedia, Mr. Anderson. Welcome to Indiana."

"Isn't that a parody of the "_The Matrix_"?" Tomahawk Man grumbled.

"Ya never know, Mr. Tommy. Yo and behold! Magic!"

"Magic? What magic?"

As a reply, Sieg drew his PET (colored golden and green and having the drawing of wolf's claw colored silver against a bluish background) and held it up.

"Denpa – Henkan! Sieg Nedora, On Air!"

"What!" Everyone exclaimed.

Eight bursts of light emitted from the PET and a large white and bright sphere formed: it suddenly expanded in size at a mad speed before it re-shaped itself to form a cocoon – like shape.

"Whoa! Too bright!" Dingo complained.

"Oi. Colonel. I think this guy's coming for ya, even." Tomahawk Man warned in the meanwhile.

"Fine. Let them come. I'll give them some lessons and I won't screw up like the other time."

The glow finally died and Dingo's jaw hit the floor.

"Au~h! Venomous Wolf's descended! Nyah, hah, hah!"

Venomous Wolf's helmet's color was a shade of green which looked closer to blue: the helmet was already rather reminiscent of a wolf with two small ear-like extensions popping out from the top and aiming upwards in a 45º angle.

Just below those there were two small curved orange stripes which looked like pupils: the round plain ear-pads had two small teal brown-colored paws emerging from the left side of them and forming a shape.

This shape reminded one of a crab's pincers.

Two larger paws aimed backwards popping from the NW and NE edges:

The forehead also had a white metallic triangle which could be the jaw: transparent greenish shades covered the eyes.

His shoulders were plain with a small circling brown band where the forearms emerged and two large paws popping out of the outer edges while curving like a shark's fins.

The chest armor included the initials "VW" written in an orange color

Other details were the two small squares of that same orange color set on the SW and SE corners of the armor.

The forearms' armor (starting at around the elbow and past the exposed segment of arm covered by green "skin") was rather simple in design having just a small ramp aiming past the armor and emerging from close to the upper edge: they were colored green too while the hands also were covered in green "skin".

His boots were also simple in design: they just had a trapeze-shaped piece of armor set vertically over the knees and one small triangle-like piece close to the star of the toes which had two small openings.

These opening looked like they could vent off heat building up inside of the boots: the soils were plain metallic gray.

"Heh, heh, heh. I'm off to seein' the _Danna_~!"

He opened one of those "holes" and appeared inside of the Cyber World: he ran out of the room into a nexus of roads and ramps: Colonel suddenly appeared in front of him and Venomous Wolf smirked as he suddenly jumped into the air and stuck to the ceiling to crawl across it and drop behind Colonel: Colonel, however, turned around faster than he expected and swung his built-in saber to make a diagonal wound into Venomous Wolf's chest spanning from the NW to the SE: Venomous Wolf gasped and jumped some distance away.

"Che. Fast. In that case… Cut Claws!"

Venomous Wolf drew his claws, jumped and dived for Colonel but he found himself starting at the muzzle of the Colonel Cannon: Colonel shot the large-sized round which hit Venomous Wolf's torso and he was sent flying across the gap between the western and eastern blocks: he crashed against a door of a western block room and it opened, making him enter what obviously was a detention cell: the door shut and a laser field formed to encompass the whole of the room.

"What the fuck! Why is this thing here?"

"I altered the room's contents." Colonel let out from the outside.

"Che! Like this will stop me! X Claws!"

He tried to cut through the front laser field using an X-shaped attack but he got repelled: some streaks of electricity jumped off and he ignored them while he frowned and seemingly thought of something or was trying to remember something.

"What was that which Eisei said the other day…? Ah! The energy conservation law…! Energy isn't created or destroyed: it has to go somewhere… So maybe if I try to pour further electricity into this thing, the generators will overload and blow up… Heh! As expected of the Elec specialist!" He muttered.

"Whatever you plot is futile. Only my signal can come in. All other signals are nullified so you can't escape to the real world either." Colonel exclaimed next.

"Oi. Colonel… I wouldn't get cocky. The others could get a hold of this and they'd come annoyed here to beat us and get the brat outta there, you know?" Shadow Man whispered but was loud enough to be picked up by the mike.

"He's got a point. It's risky to keep that guy closed here. Maybe if we moved the room to another server…" Barrel argued next.

"Plot all ya want… In less than 60 seconds I'll be outta here: I'll be like Magician Lari! The guy who shows up in that Catalan show: "The Great – Great Dictation"… We saw it at the base the other day… I can't wait for today's edition either… Heh, heh, heh… He's good at tricks… And he's good at vanishing tricks too…! Anyway… Elec Sword, Double Slot In!" He muttered with increasing amusement.

He drew 2 Elec Swords and plunged them into the field: streaks of electricity began to jump off and he saw how the electricity travelled across the whole of the field: he grinned and formed a "Killer's Eye SP" Virus which shot a continuous beam of electricity at it: the field began to flicker and some whining began to ring out.

"What's that?" Shadow Man asked.

"It rather sounds like an overloaded elevator… Doesn't it?" Dingo ventured.

"The cargo elevator?" Tomahawk Man wondered.

The field's frizzling became worse: the lights went out followed by two simultaneous explosions: the field got shut down and Venomous Wolf laughed aloud.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Ya suck at these!"

"What!" Colonel gasped.

"Vengeance time~!"

Venomous Wolf warped and appeared right in front of Colonel, who wasn't expecting that: Venomous Wolf's claws changed to purple coloring and he swept them across and along Colonel's chest.

"Poison Claws!"

"Ugroh!"

"You're next, _Ninja _Man! Hrah!"

"Ugroh!"

"And last! Tommy!"

"Gragh!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! This is the power of "Shunoros"! Don't underestimate the power of Prince Kuroban Howsad! I find your lack of faith disturbing! Nyah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Yo! Fallen noble! Having fun?" Eisei asked over the radio.

"Oi, oi. Eisei~… Don't spoil it now, when I'm feeling most pleased." He groaned.

"Too bad, Wolverine's lil cousin."

"Sheesh. First it was Video Man with the Spanish name for "Wolverine" of Marvel, "Lobezno", and now ya… Quit it!"

He quickly warped out of the Cyber World and appeared on the real world behind Dingo who was clutching the PET and calling out to Tomahawk Man: he tapped the right shoulder from behind, and, when Dingo turned, he gasped.

"UGRA~H!"

BLOM!

"Heh, heh, heh! I put on _Mujura's Mask_! Feel the FEAR! FEAR! Of the Cobra Unit!" He chuckled as he removed the mask.

"Intruder! Ring out the general alarm!" A soldier ran in and gasped.

"Oho. Don't forget to put the "Encounter" theme from _MGS_! Mr. Johnson: ya get the medal!"

"Medal? Me?" The soldier wondered.

"For the Best Voiced Guard Of The Season! Nyah, hah, hah! Bite my shiny ass, Mr. Thick Head!"

"T-this RASCAL!"

The soldier picked a baseball bat and began to swing it to try to hit Venomous Wolf but he had no problem with blocking each strike: he then jumped atop the console: he turned around for a second and then faced the soldier again.

"ZOMBIE~… BRAINSSSS!"

"UGRA~H!"

He put on a _zombie_ mask and the soldier ran off while alarms howled across the base: he chuckled and warped into the mountain inside of which the base was built: he stopped next to an air intake and dropped a small glass capsule inside which shattered.

"Stinking gas! Enjoy~!"

He warped again and appeared atop a yellowish road made of energy which extended across the sky: he ran down one of them while chuckling under his breath upon hearing what seemingly was audio picked by a spy mike.

"…stinks, it stinks! BEEJ!"

"Open the doors and windows… Quick!"

"Someone heal the KO Navis!"

"Someone wake up Dingo!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Sieg – chan brought upon chaos!"

"Sheesh. Leave me alone, Eisei~… "Shunoros" has proven its power: suck on this, ya lot!"

20:20 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Here I am, Slur – sama."

"Ah. Alex. Good. You have come."

"What is my mission?"

"There is someone with whom you must settle the score… Down there, in the Virus Lab remains…"

"Dullahan, huh. He finally dared to come out."

"Atarasei. Be cool and rational."

"Of course, ma'am."

Two Navis met in a spot of the Reverse Internet overlooking a deeper level where the remains of a building could be spotted.

One of them could easily be over a meter and eighty tall.

Its helmet design didn't look like a helmet to begin with: the forehead was covered by a diamond-shaped green-colored piece of armor from which two tall and white "antennae" emerged in a 45º inclination: something which looked like a mass of hair colored green formed behind the helmet and expanded downwards in a cone-like manner.

The face's skin was normal and the shape was rather feminine yet a bit androgynous at the same time: the Navi's eye irises were red in color.

Its upper body had a white cloth similar to a sweater with three parallel stripes set on its surface running down its length until it ended half-way across the torso.

The shoulders had greenish four-speared stars built into them and two large white sleeves which extended way past the total length of the arms extended from there: they looked thick and like they had some extra mass inside: they formed shapes reminiscent of the Alphabet "L" character.

The hands emerged from two oval-shaped cavities just where the sleeves formed a 45º turn to aim SW and SE.

They were covered in white "gloves" or "skin" and were currently closed.

The rest of the body was colored green and looked like a one-piece suit extending until the middle half of the upper body: two greenish/yellowish stripes ran down the sides of the torso until the hips.

Two greenish/yellowish diamonds were drawn around the knees followed by oval-shaped patterns which ended in a triangle on the ankle: the Navi didn't have the typical boots and the legs ended like they were pants which were larger than usual.

Some light radiated from the Navi's silhouette and made them stand out while emitting a powerful sensation: their gaze was calm and didn't display any emotion at all.

"Good. I shall be monitoring. Maybe those "noise" weapons will not have such an effect on me given my advanced programming… And if they try something desperate… I shall put a stop to it."

"I don't think he'll try to self-destruct given his ego but you never know, ma'am."

Alex, the other Navi, had a helmet which had a golden-colored "Alpha" drawing set on its forehead: the helmet was colored in an azure color with golden bands circling the ear-pads and the edges of the helmet: some azure hair popped out from behind the helmet and stretched until the base of the neck.

His face was shaped to look like that of a guy on his late teens: his eyes' irises were azure and he had an air of "elegancy" to him.

His chest armor had a silver vest built over its surface which appealed as being a layer of extra armor and which ended at the height of the chest emblem: the emblem had a bronze-colored edge and its inner color was platinum: it contained the "alpha" symbol on its very center.

His shoulders were covered in sturdy black armor from which some yellow-colored lines originated to travel down the arms' length: his forearm armor only encompassed the forearm and not the elbow to seemingly allow for further movement.

Four red circling bands spiraled around its length and ended at the knuckles of his fingers: both arms' color was navy blue yet the forearms and fingers' choice of color palette was sky blue.

His legs' knee protections had been painted white but they had diamond-colored circles varying in diameter set on them: three circles in total spread from the centermost point of the knee protection.

The boots had three pearl-colored bands circling the upper edge, the ankle, and the start of the toe fingers: their general color kept on being navy blue.

"Good enough. You may go."

"Roger. Let's go, Alex."

"OK, Oscar – kun."

Atarasei Oscar, the Operator, had jet black hair which was a wild flock which knew no order or pattern and extended until the base of his neck.

His eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.

"Hop!"

Alex jumped down into the remains of the building and soon spotted a figure surrounded by the shape of the "Jet Black Phoenix": the shape vanished and the figure stepped forward.

"Styx. So you've come out."

"Same for you. Dullahan."

"This time around… I'll bury you damned traitor."

"Traitor to the "Dark Side" this time around, huh? And who was it that taught me that staying and fighting to the end was manly and typical of the "Dark Side" to begin with? I only did what you told me to do."

"Che."

"Sheesh. Hard to believe I, the teen, gotta be lecturing ya, the adult. How the mighty have fallen… Laser Man!"

"Dullahan" turned out to be the "Darkloid" Laser Man, who was unchanged: he'd folded his arms for the time being but it was clear that he was impatient and annoyed already: he didn't see Slur looking towards there from above and to the right.

"Laser Man… I am watching." She announced.

"Shit. Slur."

"Any foolish attempts… And I shall put a halt to you. By that I do not mean to delete you but to turn you into a powerless "Darkloid"…" She icily warned.

"Damned interloper."

"Hmpf." She was unimpressed.

"Are ya gonna fight someday?" Alex taunted.

"You're but a proxy. My real power is saved for the traitor." Laser Man taunted.

"Too bad but I'm not planning on fighting ya. Alex will do it on my stead: I belong to the real world already. I'm an exile of the Cyber World. Into which I don't intend to return." Atarasei dully replied.

"Hmpf! You've already taken one step into Hell!"

"What?"

Laser Man lifted his right hand and Alex spotted how the square jewel inside of it glowed with an intermittent red glow: a gigantic reddish laser beam suddenly fell down from the sky and hit him fully: he roared as he felt his body armor being pierced by the energy: it soon stopped and he dropped into his knees, panting.

"Hmpf. How was that, you proxy?"

"Damn it. A laser beam which uses IR or UV…!"

"Eat this! Satellite Laser!"

"Area Steal!"

"What!"

"Did ya think I'd let Alex be hit in purpose, you moron?"

"Che."

Alex got warped to another position just as another of those beams fell down: Alex appeared in front of Laser Man having a Giga Cannon drawn and shot it at Laser Man: the blow did momentarily stun him and Alex quickly drew a Long Sword to then jump and stab it on the open hand's jewel, shattering it.

"Now you can't call that damned laser. We can fight in a fair manner without one-sided moves!" He growled.

"Damned clever mice!"

"Hmpf… If you need to resort to such tactics then that means that you have not learnt much ever since the "ghost" recruited you…" Slur muttered with some annoyance.

"Shut up! Even without the Satellite Laser… I've got enough power in me to bury you lowlifes! Burst Stream of Destruction!"

"A rip-off? How original."

Laser Man drew his built-un guns and shot a bluish stream of energy towards Alex but he merely placed two Stone Cubes in a row to absorb some of its energy: Alex then simply dived for the ground, rolled to the right and stood on a ducked position while having drawn a Dream Sword Program Advance: he flung it and it hit Laser Man from the SE flank but he didn't seem to mind it to begin with.

"Star Breaker Laser!"

He aimed his cannons skywards and formed a "vortex" from which incandescent meteors fell down around the area: a circle of flames soon ensued and seemed to narrow the fighting space: Laser Man suddenly warped and Alex turned around as if expecting him to attack him from behind but he showed up left of him and gripped him by the shoulders before lighting him and aiming the guns at him.

"Cross Laser!"

"Ugrah! Eat this! Giga Count Bomb!"

"Mugroh! Damned proxy!"

"Hmpf!"

Alex threw a Giga Count Bomb which exploded right in front of Laser Man next and he growled before jumping to another position: he suddenly jumped and landed back on the ground while causing a ring shockwave colored red but Alex timed his jumps and dodged it: but when he landed back on the ground he got hit by another 2 shockwaves which had been invisible until then: Alex didn't pay attention to those and merely formed the Zeta Cannon Program Advance.

"Shoot!"

"Hmpf!"

The blast hit Laser Man but he didn't mind it: Alex frowned and seemed to suspect something: his eyes glowed for some seconds and he soon started to grumble.

"An invisible Dream Aura set to repel all attacks under 550 points of damage…! The rascal keeps on repelling my attacks and hasn't suffered any damage until now…!"

"That is too unfair. Let us make it fair… Hah!" Slur muttered.

She opened her right hand and aimed it at Laser Man: some yellow spots formed across his body and some wires with a metallic cylinder at the end popped out and spread across Laser Man's body, momentarily tying him and suddenly electrocuting him: he growled and the cylinders suddenly latched into the invisible Dream Aura to the emit bluish energy waves which began to form holes and cracks on it: the whole thing eventually shattered and Laser Man cursed under his breath.

"Damn it."

"Now this has become a fair battle." Slur dully announced.

"Damn it! I'll bury you firstly!"

"Hmpf… Foolish "Darkloid"… Your power is but a speck of dust compared to mine… Drown on it like the "Darkloid" you are… But I shall nevertheless demonstrate some extent of it to you…"

Slur landed on the ground and suddenly began to run towards Laser Man, who shot random shots trying to hit her but she seemed to read his movements and be one step ahead of him: she extended two thin wires with a miniature cylinder at their end which formed a dagger form followed by a tetragon and by a rectangular shaft with a triangular lower edge: the two ends converged into another triangular end and then the frame was filled with energy becoming a graceful sword which she swung upwards.

"Hrah!"

"Ugroh!"

The sword made a white cut across Laser Man's torso (emblem included) and she then flipped into the air to deliver a kick to his forehead: the attack made Laser Man lose his balance and he collapsed into the floor while Slur flipped again and elegantly landed on the ground: she now looked smug and amused as if her personality had totally changed because she'd gotten into a battle.

"So?" She taunted.

"Damned interloper!" Laser Man howled as he somehow got back into his feet.

"Step back, Alex. I shall teach the "ghost" who they are dealing with through their proxy." Slur commanded.

"Roger, ma'am."

"It'd seem Slur – sama's got it personal with the "ghost"…" Ataresei whispered to Alex with some surprise.

"Well. After that raid into _Purgatory_ of some weeks ago… It was obvious that Slur – sama wouldn't let the "ghost" get away with it, right?"

"Oh yeah. True."

"Cross Laser!"

"Hmpf!"

Slur brought up her sword and the attack got blocked and dispersed: she then jumped twice into the air: she then aimed the left hand at Laser Man and energy spheres colored white began to form on his body: she shot some small energy projectiles in a rush while bombarding Laser Man and pushing him back: he ended up in the ground again.

"Damn it! I'm a "Darkloid"! I draw power from hatred! I should be able to easily crush you interlopers!"

"Oh yes? I am surprised that you struggled SO much against Muramasa Blues years ago." She snickered.

"Sheesh." He grumbled.

"Heh." Atarasei smirked.

"Damn it all! Laser Beam!"

He shot a beam from his right hand but Slur merely _caught_ it with the right hand while closing it and seemingly breaking it down into pieces to nullify it.

"I-impossible!"

"Impossible? I do not think so." She announced.

"I get the feeling like there's more than what it seems to Slur – sama's words…" Alex frowned.

"Maybe you're imaging things."

"Maybe I'm being paranoid, yeah."

"By the way: the trio has uploaded Chapters 7 & 8 and you'll be glad to know that 50% of the album is already done." Atarasei grinned.

"I see." He dully replied.

"Did Dully – chan pass on you his dullness?"

"Maybe so."

"Die~!"

"I object."

Laser Man had begun to shoot at mad but Slur merely jumped into the air and extended her left hand to form those wires again and had them coil around Laser Man's right arm before electrocuting him.

"The end."

"What!"

Slur lifted her left hand and drew a red circle around the area, encompassing the five of them: red light began to emerge from inside of the circle, causing an explosion which pushed Laser Man back and created a massive spread of destructive energy to encompass the whole of the terrain.

"Mugro~h!"

When the explosion died off, Laser Man had suffered structural damage given how some parts of his body had broken down and were leaking data: he was barely managing to remain on his feet.

"Ugru~h… My HP values have fallen down to 32 Points!" Laser Man growled.

"Have your learnt about the limitations of your power? I would rather say the "ghost" will have an easier time resetting your persona and building another one so that you become more battle-effective… And the same may apply to the others… Your-so called "hatred" only blinds you lot and makes you unable to properly fight…" Slur turned cold and icy again as she cancelled the sword and hovered in the air.

"Damned you, Slur! One day you'll regret this! I'll bury you lowlife's prestige and reputation! Like I'll do with the traitor!"

"If the "ghost" does not delete you before then, that is."

"Gra~h!"

Laser Man howled and ran towards Slur but the "Jet Black Phoenix" formed and he was forcibly retrieved: Slur wasn't affected by any of the display and merely lifted an eyebrow as if displaying slight curiosity at the phenomenon.

"I see." She muttered.

"What are my orders, Slur – sama?"

"You are dismissed. There is something I desire to investigate: you may go back already."

"Roger, ma'am."

"I'll be waiting on the deck with Kage." Atarasei told Alex.

"Andy – kun will be there too?"

"Sure. Let's have some fun with M &F."

"Alright. I shall be returning, ma'am."

"You may go."

Alex was retrieved while Slur landed on the ground and glanced around as if mistrusting: she heard steps and spotted Blues walking over there while having a Neo Variable Sword drawn.

"I got told by Punk that there was a commotion." He stated.

"Laser Man. I decided to give him a lesson after Alex demonstrated how cowardly he fought." She summed up with a shrug.

"Hum. As sneaky as usual, huh? I remember how he fought in the "Dark Cyber World" years ago, too." Enzan calmly commented.

"Indeed. I shall be going."

"Alright, Blues. Let's resume our hunt for clues."

"Roger, Enzan – sama. The Net Police's Cyber CID won't let the "ghost" get away with it, either."

20:58 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Yo! Atarasei. Over here."

"Hey. Kage. You healthy?"

"Sure thing, fella."

"That's good to know."

Atarasei met up with Kage in a spot of the deck where there were two basketball baskets set in the walls of two buildings and close to a set of double doors which seemingly led inside of the ship: there were a couple of benches for spectators or players to sit down at.

Atarasei could be around Kage's age and had the same approximate height too: his body was thin, athletic, and had good build to it which was proof of his apparently continuous exercises.

He sported a navy blue overcoat over a greenish t-shirt, a pair of navy blue jeans tightened with a black leather belt: a pair of thin socks covered his feet and he used black sneakers for footing.

He sat down to Kage's right: he spotted Andy and Alex having a chat in another bench.

"I lent them my PET so… Got yours, I take it?" Kage asked.

"Of course."

He drew his PET (having a cyan carcass and golden edges plus Alex's emblem) and placed it on the space between both of them.

"… Welcome to a new edition of "The Bombers"! Chapter 7! Start!"

"… _Marchando_! "Hey! You 2! Urgent mission! Whaddya doing?"… "N-nothing, we were practicing boxing… Heh, heh…"… M hurriedly shuts a close by door: suspiciously! "Save it for later! Our spies spotted "Fatty" Mac of the "Bombers" clan in the Lil Onion Road. He carries on his hand what strikes as a bomb in the shape of barnacle skin bag. You gotta steal it back! This guy might even place in on the "Hysterical Single Club" and you can't imagine what'll happen!"…"

"Hysterical Single Club?" Atarasei wondered.

"Talk about original." Kage chuckled.

"Sure, sure." Andy sighed.

"Totally original." Alex muttered.

"… "By the way! What did you store there when I came in?"… Both run off the room! And! It was a punch-bag with Mr. Super's face! "Villains! Dog-faced! I'll catch 'em yet!" … "This is the road."… "And there goes "Fatty" Mac! We can use Plan 127-L: coordinated operation with surrounding maneuver and tactical dispersion which…"… "Quit it, quit it! I pull the bag away and that's it! Be right back! More absent-minded than a lunch basket! Let's go! Got it! Heh, heh! Let's fly, fly! Fly, fly… F… F… AH!"… It turns out the guy noticed it and was gripping with his huge hands!"

"Oho." Atarasei and Kage grinned.

"Trouble." The other two sighed.

"… "Trying to steal off my bag, huh?"… "I? Oh no! I was walking here when your bag caught my hands and…!" … PTAF! "Oh yes, you're right back, Boss, but sans the bag! He's leaning on that street lamp to rest! Chance, Boss! I tie the hand: you pick the bag and fly!"… "Gotcha!" … "Heh, heh, heh! As immobilized as a dead cat!"… "If you'll excuse me! Heh, heh!"… CRACK! "No! No!"… "YEAH! YEAH!"… CRONCH! CRONCH! CRONCH! CRONCH! "Dear me~! How he hits Boss with the street lamp! He's leaving him like a block's lil chain! Calm down, I've also got hair on my head… I mean, in the quill! I'll distract the guy so that he lets go of the bag and you pick it! Let's go!"… M disguises as a granny and places a boulder on the walkway! "I c-can't cross… This boulder blocks it… And if I step down I might get run by a car!"… "Relax, ma'am, I'll help you!"… "Heh, heh! This is going well!"… "See? Boulder off! Continue your walk, ma'am!"… He lazily tosses the boulder behind him and crushes F!"

"Man. What dumb luck. It was a good idea, though." Kage laughed at the deal.

"Regrettable! Truly!"

"Sure, sure."

"… "Cheer up, Boss, cheer up! If it was a tram instead of a boulder… I know, Boss! I scare 'im to death and you use the shock to pick the bag!"… He disguises as werewolf! "GROWL!"… "A~H!"… "It looks like that's working! He'll let go of the bag!"… BLOF! Collapses atop him!"

"Trouble."

"… "Ow! I'm being crushed! Take this Fatman off me!"… "N-no need to, Boss… He'll take off himself… He's waking up…"… "Ow, ow… Hey! The thief from before!"… "Y-you got the wrong fella~…" … "Take bag! Take this, this AND THIS!" … TROMP! TROMP! TROMP! He begins to jump atop him and embed him in the ground! "OW! OW! OWUAH!" … "Don't yell so much, Boss! He didn't have spike boots, mind you! I've got another idea which…"… "Stuff it elsewhere! I'm in charge! Here: stick this 5000 Z bank note atop a tree but in an angle which you can see it. He'll try to pick it but, to climb, he'll have to let go of the bag and I'll pick it!"… "Done, Boss, we only need to wait!"… "Devil! A tree which gives off 5000 Z bank notes instead of pears! Well then. Let's pick it up. Heh, heh. Gotta know where I can buy seeds for these trees!"… It was a thin and barely tall skinny tree which he bent over with one hand!"

"Could've picked a bigger and taller tree, no?" Alex sighed.

"Mortadelo and his lack of imagination…"

"… "But, then again… Maybe… If you bury 1 coin and water it…"… "My bank note! GRTJFX! Planting it on a tree which bends over with a snail's weight…!"… "Maybe you wanted me to find a baobab! How demanding, man! Your car, Boss! We run him down when he crosses and we take the bag!"… "That's it!"… "He's crossing!"… "Hit 'im hard! Full gas!"… CRASH!"

"Whoa! What happened?" Kage wondered.

"Teaser!" Atarasei grinned.

"… "T-the guy's like a rock, huh?"… "Shaddup and run! My car! We'll talk 'bout this!"… Maybe he's harder than Rock Man?" Video Man suggested with a chuckle.

"Sheesh. Rock Man doesn't come from "boulder", it's from "Rock n' Roll"…" Andy muttered with some annoyance.

"Well. But maybe they don't know the guy and think they've just patented the name?" Alex suggested.

"Could be. If that's the case I'll let it slip."

"… "Look! He sat down on a bench!"… "And he's opening the bag! What's he gonna do?"… "Aha! Here's the beans sandwich! And the red wine bottle… Heh, heh! I can't walk 100 meters without stopping to have a snack… Munch! Munch! Swallow!"… "HUH?"…"

"Oh come on. The bag didn't have a bomb and wasn't a bomb? And he wasn't a "Bomber"? Who told them that?" Alex sighed.

"The "TIA" and their info sources…!"

"… "Ah! You 2 back? Did you get the bag? That's it? It's HUGE! W-what are you gonna do, what…? You brutes! Get me outta here! I'll remember this one!"… They stuffed him inside of a gigantic bag and tied to the rear end of Mr. Super's car to have him bounce up and down a gravel road! "Fulll speed, Mortadelo, the car belongs to Mr. Super too!"… "Yeah, Boss! 300!"… End of Chapter 7!"

"Another useless struggle…!" The Navis sighed.

"Heh, heh, heh!"

"Start of Chapter 8! "Mortadelo~! Filemó~n! Show up! Urgent mission! As usual, those 2 do love to be summoned… When there's work they're like the "bonus" coins… They vanish! Well! Let's prepare my magic show: I light the stage… Nothing here nothing there… Hop! The doves showed up!"… "UA~H!"... "I'M BURNIN'!"… Those 2 hid in the metal drawers so Mr. Super set fire to them to heat them up and force them out!" Video Man chuckled.

"Heh. Mr. Super sure knows how to find them when they try to escape from a mission…" Atarasei grinned.

"Sure thing."

"Really…"

"… "Head over to the house of "BB"!"… "Did you say "BB"? Immediately, Mr. Super!"… "She's still quite pretty…!"… "I meant Balbina Bechamel, widow of Cleofás Tijerilla! Our spy, Escorbútez, found out that she makes bombs, surely for the "Bombers" gang… Investigate, confiscate the artifacts and arrest the "bomber"! Move it!"… "I don't trust Escorbútez's word. We need to check it out."… "I'll handle it, Boss! I get in through the window using my dove disguise and she won't realize! What's this gal doing, holding a frying pan over the fire and looking - UPWARDS? UWA~H!"… PLAF! PCHSSS! PFFF! "My omelet! Where's my potato omelet?"… She'd actually flung the omelet upwards and it landed atop M so he flew out while burning out due to the heat and losing his feathers eventually crashing down! "Hum! I think that your disguise has a defect in the landing gear…"…"

"Whoa. First time I hear F using irony on M." Kage whistled.

"Heh, heh, heh. I guess "BB" was the initials of some beautiful woman of that age guess their initial excitement!"

"… "Go to crap! I've got more plans than a "playboy"! All widows go mad with stray cats… I disguise as "Michino", I meow in front of her and I'll get inside and… time to investigate! Meow! Nya~h! Menya~h!"… "Why, a kitty! You must be the one who ate a sardine the other day, eh, one of those which happened to be taxed at 300 Z per kilo? TAKE SARDINE!"… CROCK! MEO~W! "Technical error, Boss! Need another plan! I got it! The hairy rat disguise! No danger despite being seen: all women run off when faced with a rat!"… "A~H! A RAT!" … "Heh, heh! She'll run off faster than a BANG!"… BANG! "Devil! She had to be cleansing her late husband's shotgun!"… "Look! I'll handle this. You're less reliable than a cheap pen!"..."

"Man. What dumb luck." Andy sighed.

"Sure…" Alex muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh. The frightful widow's attack!" Both Operators made up some silly motto on the spot.

"… "Ah! The garbage bin! It's empty. So she'll bring it back inside with ME inside! Heh, heh!"… "How repulsing! I forgot this pan with milk in the storage 3 months ago… It's so bitter than you end up dizzied… What a stench!"… "Cheer up, Boss, cheer up… With six pre-cleansings and a program at 90 Celsius maybe we can prevent typhus…"… He had to cleanse F using a washing machine!"

"Whoa. Guess it's gotta be really horrible to be bathed by 3 months – old milk." Alex muttered.

"Beej." Andy muttered with some repulsion.

"… "Maybe the best will be to enter by force… Wait here on the hall! This will turn the door into nice toothpicks!"… A ball-shaped timer bomb! "I'll wait for the explosion from the lower hall…"… "Hey! Who left this ball here? Go to crap!"… ZIU~! TIC-TAC… BOOM! "BOSS!"…"

"Too bad: if only F had come along…" Atarasei chuckled.

"Yeah. I know."

"… "Come on, Boss, cheer up! We've got such a short life…"… "I'm fed up with this! I'm going all out!" Runs up the stairs and gets ready to shoulder-tackle the door! "Let's see if the neighbor lends me some verbena for the pancakes… Dear me! What an air current!"… CRASH! CLOMPF! BALANG! "OUWA~H!"… "Sir! What are you doing with your head inside of the oven? It's at maximum heat! I turned it up to start cooking the "bombs"! Bombs? In the oven?"… "Of course! They're my corn pancakes, see! I call them like these because after kneading them…. I drop them to flatten them like they were bombs! Tee, heh! Would you like one…? Hey! Where are you rushing out to?"…"

"I knew it. F was right in not trusting the spy's word. They weren't real bombs, it was a nickname!" Andy groaned.

"That spy could've bothered to knock and ask!" Alex sighed.

"… "Mr. Super, come over ASAP! M & F picked the spy and…!"… "UNHEARD VANDALISM! Two "TIA" agents pick a pal, tie a bomb in the nape and throw him off the window. They're being sought and…"…"

"The guy got it coming!" Atarasei chuckled.

"Sure thing…"

"… "I think we shouldn't have done it, Boss… The explosion wrecked 6 street lights!"… "Forget the urbanism stuff and swim!"… Both swam under the sea and used bamboo pipes to breathe! End! V!"

"B!"

"N!"

"V-B-N! Off Air! And now… Teaser time! Chapter 9: farms, county and bombs! Chapter 10: wrists, dolls and vengeance!"

"Whoa." The Operators whistled in admiration.

"Why can't I feel anything but DREAD?" Alex sighed.

"Maybe I'm to blame." Someone suggested with slight irony.

A man walked out of the double doors and Atarasei quickly got to his feet while pocketing the sunglasses: he had greenish eye irises.

"Mr. Daikani, sir…"

"Relax, Oscar… I'm no longer your CO."

"Ah. Mr. Daikani. Good evening, sir."

"Good evening, you guys."

This man, Daikani, looked on his late fifties, had blackish hair and brownish eye irises.

He wore a simple black suit, a blue tie and pants along with brown shoes.

"Why did you say that, sir?" Alex asked.

"My codename when I worked for the "Seraphs" and was in charge of the "Charon Brotherhood"… That was "Dread Baron" so…"

"Ah. I apologize if…"

"Oh no! You didn't hurt my pride. You didn't know, anyway."

"Ah. Thank you, sir."

"Oscar… Do you have a couple of minutes? I'd like to talk with you before going back home."

"Yes, sir… There, in that corner, sir."

"Good. We'll be right back."

Daikani and Atarasei headed towards a corner while Kage whistled a tune and began to stretch: Andy looked somewhat gloomy as he glanced at the bay and Alex noticed it.

"Is something troubling you, Andy – kun?"

"Hmmm? Ah. No. Nothing." He absent-mindedly replied.

"Is Rock Man healthy?"

"Rock Man? Oh yeah. As usual. I think that he's somehow managing to bear Guts Man's idiocies. Video Man told me the guy got into a brawl with 14 Heel Navis and beat them just to show off."

"Ooyama doesn't learn the lesson." Kage sighed.

"And Miss Spoiled keeps on trying to tease around but only manages to anger Sakurai – san…"

"Man. Your former class is a chaos."

"You needn't tell me."

"…directly appeared there, else how do you explain that device?"

"Hmmm… It certainly sounds like it."

They spotted former "Darkloid" Cosmo Man and former Gospel Commander Freeze Man coming out of the doors and engrossed in some discussion: Cosmo Man looked like he wanted to insist in some topic while Freeze Man looked like he still had his doubts.

"Let's go talk it with Shade Man. Maybe he'll give us a different POV."

"It's worth a try."

"And Pharaoh Man too."

"Alright."

They walked past the group without noticing them: Alex and Andy looked interested while Kage was looking at something with the PET.

"I remember… When we assaulted the "Crimson Lobby", some weeks ago… Magic Man and Drill Man were there… And, by some strange device, we got frozen in time for some seconds but it was more than enough time for the "ghost" to get those 2 outta there…" Alex explained.

"Hum. I see. So they think that the "ghost" was physically on the scene and wasn't employing a proxy or remotely operating some device: but there mustn't be any sensor data left by now so it's hard to confirm it but then again it's not impossible." Andy guessed.

"Good evening." Leon joined them.

"Hi, Leon. You healthy?"

"Of course. I already heard from Sieg about his latest idiocy." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, I know. Really… What a fuss he started. I wouldn't be surprised if Prince Kuroban punished him for acting like an idiot." Andy muttered without being surprised.

"Actually… He's been grounded for a whole week and his "Denpa – Henkan" program de-installed."

"Grounded until next Saturday, huh? Got it coming, the guy." Alex commented.

"That's the price you pay for acting like an idiot, I guess." Kage distractedly added.

"… Have a safe trip back home, sir."

"Thank you. And please don't feel sad. It's reality, Oscar."

"I know, sir, yet… I know."

"I care for you as I do for my sons, and you're also important to me, but you can't harbor resentment towards them. They haven't done anything bad. You can't pretend that there's no – one else."

"Roger, sir…"

Atarasei returned from talking with Daikani while looking slightly sad: Daikani was trying to comfort him.

"I'll go back to my room… I need to cool down."

"Good. Sleep well, Oscar."

"Roger, sir…"

Daikani walked away while Atarasei sat down on the bench and sighed: Kage handed him a handkerchief and he blew his nose with it before standing up.

"I'm going to the room… I don't feel hungry so I think that I won't be having dinner… See ya around…"

The others nodded and saw how Atarasei headed inside: Legato came out at the same time and looked surprised at seeing his face.

"What happened?"

"Mr. Daikani had a talk with him regarding that topic and, well, he understands it but at the same time it kind of breaks an illusion he'd built up… It's hard but I think he'll overcome it…" Kage explained.

"I see. I think it's for the best, though." Legato made a weak smile.

"Yeah. Oh well. Maybe I should have a chat with Hikari – kun one of these days to see if we improve the mood." Kage muttered.

"Oscar – kun… You're strong… It's hard for you but one has to accept reality as it is…" Alex muttered while smiling.

"You can do it, man." Andy encouraged.

_We'll support each other: we're onboard pals and that's what onboard pals are for… Nothing will shatter our unity! Let's go for more!_


	6. Chapter 6: Flame start & cold end

**Chapter 6: Flame start & cold end**

14:14 PM (Japan Time), Sunday July the 3rd…

"… Mwah, hah hah, hah, hah! Flame 'em up!"

"Run for it!"

"Where did this guy come from?"

"Like I know!"

"Don't run, mice! Time to be heated up! This is the summer! It's time to heat them up! Mwah, hah, hah, hah."

"So! You lowlife! You are one of the "Jet Black Phoenix" members…"

"Who the hell!"

"Shunoros."

"What!"

"End Angel. He Who Brings Forth The End."

"W-what?"

"What happened to your damned GUTS? Flame Man EXE!"

"T-this BRAT!"

"_Clichéd_!"

"Whoa! Did ya listen…? It's one of those Shunoros guys…! They say they're some of the strongest!"

"I heard that they're after these rascals…!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Why don't we record this and then sell it? We'd make some money off it!"

Flame Man EXE had showed up in a warehouse which had been occupied by Heel Navis but then someone interjected: Flame Man looked around, angered, while some of the Navis began to record the scene without the guy noticing.

"I'm End Angel. And you're done for, ghost of the past."

"Wha~t?"

End Angel flew down from the ceiling area and landed in the ground.

He had a white helmet which was shaped like a swan as seen from above with the beak's upper edge running past the forehead and providing some "shade" to the face: the side edges had black painting over them and formed a trapeze-like drawing.

The sides of the helmet per se consisted on a navy blue piece of armor over a round white circle.

A blue piece of armor shaped like an inclined seat emerged from there travelled down until the base of the neck: bluish transparent shades covered the eyes: his eyes' irises were blue.

His forehead had the _kanji_ for _shuuen_ or "end" written on it using blood red coloring too.

The chest armor had the initials "EA" written in blood red color and set on the protruding upper edge of the armor which was white in color: a small depression at the middle formed the shape of the "V" letter: a blue-colored thin stripe ran across the armor to then form a vertical column aiming downwards: the small space at the SW and SE edges of the armor below the blue stripe was colored white.

Two smooth wings came out from behind the body's shoulder armors: they were built of three pieces split by thin black lines: the first piece had a one-third-portion colored metallic gray but the rest of it had a navy blue coloring to it as it extended and ended in a diagonal angle aiming SW: the second piece was colored white instead and shared the exact length.

The third piece was shorter and about half the length of the others.

The shoulder armors were made of spheroids with a small triangle aiming downwards and protecting part of the arm from the sides.

The rest of his design was identical to the others when it came to the forearms, boots and knee protections.

His face looked like he was a teen guy and his height was over a meter and sixty, maybe closer to a seventy.

"Arcane Sword!"

"Chaos Flame!"

End Angel drew a sword with some runes written on its surface and a brownish hilt: he cut through the falling "Chaos Flame" and, when he was about to make contact with Flame Man (while flying across the area using his wings) Flame Man switched to green flames and thus repelled the incoming attack.

"Fire Breath!"

"Slow, gramps."

"What! Where…?"

End Angel flew upwards and dived to land behind Flame Man where the candles had been placed at: he quickly cut them up and Flame Man lost his flames: he chuckled and formed blackish flames next while his eyes glowed with a menacing reddish glow.

"My jet-black flames shall torment you even in the Beyond!" He tried to sound menacing.

"Oho. Scary, scary~…" End Angel snickered.

"Jet Black Flame Tower!"

Several Flame Towers sprouted around End Angel and converged on him but he warped and appeared again atop Flame Man: he lifted the sword and then pressed his left index finger against the 2nd rune starting from below: the sword began to glow with an azure glow and a gigantic geyser ensued from below: it engulfed Flame Man but it quickly became steam given the heat from the flames: the resulting steam filled the space and reduced visibility in a considerable manner.

"Where are you, you brat!"

"Close than what you think."

"What!"

End Angel suddenly showed up from the front and plunged his blade into the forehead: Flame Man roared and tried to form another Flame Tower but End Angel had already flown elsewhere.

"Come! Garuu SP!"

A horde of about 20 Garuu SP Viruses formed around Flame Man and they began to shoot fire at random around the area as if trying to hit End Angel: but he merely hummed a tune as he dropped "Bug Fragments" in front of the Garuus to turn them docile: he tossed some more outside and the Garuus ran out.

"Damn it. Magic Man, the rascal! Why didn't he tell me this would happen? Ghost – sama is too _naïve_! It's impossible to ensure cooperation between the 7 of us!" Flame Man growled.

"Maybe he's testing ya lot to see if you're worth his precious time or not, you see…" He taunted.

"Damn you~…"

"Is that all?"

"Damn it! Back then I drove that blue gnat to a corner!"

"He wasn't powerful enough yet. But King Man sure was."

"The chess rascal! Stomped me from above!"

"It's called checkmate, Mr. Ugly."

"Shaddup! Great Symbol!"

"Rip-offs, eh?"

Flame Man inhaled and exhaled to form an attack in the form of the _Kanji_ _dai_ ("great") but End Angel merely placed a Curse Shield in front of him which repelled the attack and countered, hitting Flame Man: the latter jumped towards End Angel but End Angel only had to fly skywards to dodge and see how he met the floor.

"Let's put an end to this. Elemental Sword!"

"What!"

End Angel's blade glowed and the runes lighted in order of red, blue, yellow and green: he rushed for Flame Man and delivered 4 precise and effective hits: Flame Man growled and stepped back: he suddenly began to run off and End Angel gave chase as he leapt off the platform the building was at and towards another: he turned around and shot a stream of flames but End Angel dodged them with ease.

"Battle Chip, Great Tsunami!"

"What!"

A black-colored _tsunami_ about 5 meters tall formed and washed Flame Man over, dragging him deeper into the Reverse Internet until he crashed into the Virus Lab ruins at the bottommost level: he somehow got back on his feet while End Angel flew down.

"Judgment!"

"Wha~t?"

Several golden-colored beams of energy fell down from the skies and pierced through Flame Man's body (given how he hadn't been able to turn on the flames again): he howled and the "Jet Black Phoenix" ensued: End Angel wasn't impressed by the phenomenon and didn't let the wind affect him as Flame Man was retrieved.

"Heh! How frail… At this rate they'll all be tossed back into Window's recycle bin… Oh well. Let's go report to the Prince."

"Puku! Ore Chalks Chips, de puku! 40% OFF!" Bubble Man ran in while brandishing what seemed to be imitations of the "Oreichalcos Boundary" Battle Card.

"Flee!" End Angel growled and directed a murderous glare at the guy.

"PUKU~!"

"HMPF! Let's go back already!"

14:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Well, well, well. I guess you must be a member of "Shunoros", my young fellow?"

"Hmmm? Golden Star?"

"Indeed. My name's Joel Agoras."

"I'm Victor."

"Oh yeah. I remember. You're the college students, right?"

"Correct. The onboard Holmes wannabe…"

"…and his sidekick, the onboard Watson wannabe…"

"Heh. Ernst Stroger."

"AKA… End Angel. Right?"

"Correct. I beat that Flame Man rascal."

End Angel, or, rather, Ernst Stroger, met with two members of Golden Star in an alley.

He didn't seem to be older than fifteen or sixteen years old and past a meter and seventy tall.

His hair had grown in an uncontrolled manner and it now extended to past the base of his neck: it had a natural reddish tone to it and his eyes' irises were blue in color: he looked calm at the moment.

He wore a white t-shirt, jeans, black sneakers and a brownish overcoat which was open and had short sleeves.

"I'd rather tell them to beware of hydrogen."

Joel Agoras, the Operator, was a young man who appealed to be close to 20 years of age and having a height of about meter and eighty centimeters.

His hair's color was a bright brown one and it was rather messy and forming flocks there and there while a pair of reading glasses hid his eyes: he had a creepy smile across his face.

His choice of clothing happened to be a white shirt with a collar having four buttons on it plus a teal brown coat over it which was open in the middle: he finished the set with a pair of grayish wool pants and simplistic brown shoes.

"And of oxygen as well."

Victor, the Net Navi, was as tall as his Operator and even surpassed by him by a whole five centimeters.

His helmet's surface was covered in a grid of brown tiles separated by black lines and columns.

A bright yellowish jewel had been set on the center of the forehead: the ear-pads had his initial, the Alphabet "V" letter colored golden, drawn over them.

Blue transparent shades were installed over his eyes the irises of which were brown: his face had a smooth look to it and could even be considered attractive as seen from the sides.

His main body had that same pattern printed over it and his chest emblem's edge was colored red, green and blue in different percentages while the golden "V" was set against a white background.

His shoulders had eight-pointed stars drawn over them colored red, green and blue at random while his arms also had the grid pattern printed over their skin: the forearms were colored navy blue with dusty brown bands circling around their length.

The legs kept on using the grid pattern over it and the boots happened to have the Alphabet initials "RGB" with each letter printed on their corresponding color, set over them.

Overall he looked like a combination of the three basic colors and a brown grid: his expression denoted amusement.

"Heh. True. Anyway… There's only 1 pending _debut_… And it'd seem that they all boycott each other to begin with… As expected!" Ernst grinned.

"Of course. As expected of such fellows…"

"Did you check out for that Latvian's connections?"

"Latvian?" Agoras seemed to frown.

"Maybe it's something Zero was handling…" Victor suggested.

"Ah. My bad. Forget it. I got the wrong person."

"If you say so…" Agoras shrugged.

"Has Eisei behaved or does he need some punishment?" Victor asked.

"Eisei? Guess the Prince will sooner or later scold the guy. Ah. If there's anything related to some sadists… Tell me. I'll deliver them raw fear and give them a warning they won't forget."

"Delighted."

"Oho! Hello there~! My folk enchanted by Uncle Moran and Uncle Moriarty~!"

"HUH?"

They all turned around to see Superintendent Oda walking in and looking in a good mood: Ernst frowned, Agoras rubbed his chin as if trying to recall something and Victor looked puzzled.

"Superintendent Oda. Net Police Cyber CID! I thought Ijuuin – kun had talked to you guys about me?"

"Ah. So you're Ijuuin's CO." Ernst guessed.

"In essence… Beware! An assaulter assaults an assaulter!"

"Is that a joke?" Ernst wasn't impressed.

"Provided by Uncle Merton!"

"He's the origin of the "Uncle" thing…" Victor whispered to Ernst.

"Kage – kun heard it from his pal Hikari – kun and the others found it funny so it stuck… And Eisei then copied it…" Agoras added.

"Eisei… The guy always needs to screw it up, doesn't the guy?"

"Unfortunately."

"And there comes Lucky Luke: the cowboy who shoots faster than his shadow!"

"Is that a cartoon?" Ernst wondered.

"Hmmm… Wikipedia says no. It's a French comic book which has a very light-hearted Wild West setting… A lot of humor, apparently…" Victor brought up the PET's holographic GUI.

"I see." Ernst drily replied.

"And then…! Something FRIGTHFUL happened!"

"What was it?" Agoras dully asked.

"The teacher's chalk broke." He laughed.

"How original, sir." Agoras dully replied.

"My. What dullness. Dully – chan is to blame?"

"Guess that." Ernst folded his arms.

"Heh, heh, heh. Oh The Dullness!" He improvised a motto.

"1, 2, 3… Hop." Victor whispered.

The 3 of them ran off at top speed while Oda chuckled and headed back the way he'd come: the 3 of them hid inside of an unused locale and sighed in relief.

"Ijuuin – kun told me that: when things look awry the best thing you can do is to get away from there." Agoras sighed.

"Guess that." Ernst looked surprised.

"I better disguise." Victor muttered.

His body glowed and his bodysuit was replaced by normal clothes (a brownish t-shirt, shorts, sandals and a reddish cap): he stretched while Agoras looked out through a gap in the black paper covering the windows from the inside.

"Good. No – one seems to have noticed anything. We better head back to report." Agoras whispered.

"See you around."

"OK."

"Good-bye."

Agoras and Victor left while Ernst glanced around before walking out into the street and humming a tune: he spotted Dekao chatting with Meiru but it was obvious that whatever he was saying was only annoying her further but he wasn't noticing that.

"…my present?"

"Present? A cardboard crown bought off some bazaar?"

"You'll be the Queen Over The Hill, Meiru – chan!"

"I don't need to!" She snapped back.

"But…!"

"I'm gonna kick you 100 times a row." She hissed.

"UWA~H! NETTO~! YA MORON! YA TURNED MEIRU – CHAN AGAINST ME, I'LL MAKE YA REGRET THAT!" Dekao yelped as he ran away before Meiru actually did that.

"The Fatman!" She hissed.

"Sheesh. We need his mom to hit him in the head with a frying pan and hope that straightens the guy out!" Roll fumed.

"Guess it's the summer heat…" Ernst inwardly muttered as he walked past the area.

"Let's go back, Roll. I'm not going to be late to my piano lesson." Meiru fumed and strode away.

"Roger, Meiru – chan."

_That asides… What's the "ghost" hoping to accomplish? Hmmm…_

15:38 PM (Japan Time)…

"… You called? President Hades."

"Yes, Mr. Zero. I'm sorry to have to summon you so suddenly, but since I've been some days off handling company matters… I haven't been able to keep too much up-to-date… Do we know something new?"

"Apart from the "phoenix" thing and that they don't want to cooperate amongst them… Some seem to think the "ghost" is too _naïve _in the aspect of having them cooperate…"

"Hmmm… I find it hard to believe: seeing how skillfully they've kept out of the radar for all these years…"

A man was talking with a Net Navi in a corner of _Purgatory_'s deck.

The Navi , Zero, used crimson red as his main color and his height was about the meter and eighty mark, close if not identical to Slur's own height: his design was rather curious.

His head had a large sapphire-colored dome encompassing it as seen from above: some kind of partial facial protection was built on the front: it was a pair of equally reddish "wings" extending NW and NE followed by two thin parallel fang-like ends running down the sides of the face.

Where the ear-pads would be at, a gray-colored "∅" symbol over a black background was drawn.

His eyes didn't have pupils to them and their irises were a threatening yellowish color: his face's "skin" was metallic in color and he did have a small nose yet his mouth was but a line drawn across it forming a trapeze in the center of the face: it didn't look like it could open and the "breathing" sound was emitted from inside of it.

His upper body had partial chest armor colored red over his blackened "skin" and looked more like a vest than armor: there was an inverted trapeze-shaped opening exposing the base of the neck and the center of the upper chest followed by two round openings in the middle of the chest.

The armor ended by drawing a trapeze on its lower edge exposing the "skin" of the waistline: it did form a curve to protect the sides and read parts of the neck too with three small horizontal slits set in a column on the front parts of the neck protection.

The armor over his shoulders appealed as being knives while seen from the front: they had a thin metallic outer edge and the main color on them was red: they were thick and looked strong.

His arms' skin was black in color too while his hands were covered in the usual white "latex" most Navis had: two armlets were attached over the section of his arms extending from the elbows to the top of his hands: each one had a mainly cylindrical form with red and black armor: the black armor was built of a stripped cylinder with the red armor over it: two circular bands kept it on place looping around the elbow and the wrist: the upper part had a diamond-shaped piece over the elbow plus a small sapphire over his hands.

There was a gap around the stomach area which was unshielded in the form of a cross: a pair of white "pants" began on the lower part of that gap and extended until the knees: these "pants" didn't cover the outwards-facing sides of his legs.

His knees had diamond-shaped pieces of armor with a thin vertical stripe across their center protecting them before the boots began.

They were rather plain except for a set of three black bands slightly over the ankles of each foot: the thin soils of the boots were also colored black.

Last of all he had a mass of blonde hair spreading from behind his helmet and stopping inches from his ground: this hair spread open as a cape and ended in six pyramidal gaps between each end.

He had a simplistic sword drawn on his right arm which began with a cylindrical hilt having three circling stripes set on it: the sword was white and looked thick enough despite being somewhat thin.

"I know, but I'm sure they hadn't made it up. I think that, eventually, there'll be in-fighting. Unless the "ghost" can put it down somehow."

"Very likely, yes…"

President Hades appealed to be around 27 years of age and as having a height of a meter and eighty-five centimeters.

His hair was neatly combed and brownish in coloring: his eyes' irises were brown in coloring and he was clean shaven.

His clothes consisted on a black suit coupled with black tie and black quality pants: he looked like a typical businessman.

"Oh well. We won't get anything by beating around the bush… I better go back to my room and finish the pending work… Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon. Don't push yourself, President Hades."

"I know, I know…"

Hades walked away and Zero sighed: he heard three short and flat beep sounds and a holographic screen displayed Thunder Man examining something which had a camera or sensor built on it.

"Thunder Man? Node 14 – C… Guess he's been sent by Colonel after some "pressure" to try to figure out if we know something about the "ghost" or we don't… Let's tell him to go back." Zero muttered.

He snapped his right hand's fingers and an emerald-colored Dream Bit Virus formed right in front of Thunder Man.

"Whoa! Who's this guy?"

"Bamboo Tower." Zero muttered.

The Bamboo Towers sprouted and propelled Thunder Man upwards while he howled: they vanished as quickly as they had formed and Thunder Man crashed face-down into the edge of the platform, which cracked, and he then fell towards the depths.

"Uwo~h!"

"My bad, Thunder Man, but we've got a policy against intrusion into our territories… And this should be a warning for Colonel, too…"

He warped out of the deck and entered the Cyber World into a large room which seemed to be part of some system.

This room had several folders and vertical tubes from which raw data poured to then go through some filters each having a tag: the data began sorted out and then flew into each folder: the whole "room" had the feeling of being very tall.

Zero appeared atop a round stone platform made of gray basaltic rock had been set at as some kind of control post from where to oversee the whole system's functions: there was a rotating brown leather armchair set there and Zero sat on it as multiple holographic screens popped up: several Program – kuns could be seen moving around and delivering data while, further below, some large cylindrical shafts with grids set on them at intervals could be seen: they seemed to be the source of the incoming data.

"Let's listen to the newest broadcast to break the ice."

"… YAY! M &F TIME~!"

"Oh well. Take a break as well, you guys, and listen."

"YAY~!"

All of the Program – kun (50 in total) appeared in the area and formed seats for each one as if it was a cinema: Zero shrugged and sounded amused at the fact.

"… V-B-N! On Air! Today… "The Bombers"! Chapters 9 & 10! "Yeah! The deal's gonna be on the farm! Here's the gizmo! You lit the fuse and… BANG! Donkeys, pigs, cows… They all fly sky-high! Heh, heh! Let's go meet the gang!"… Two fellas talking! One lights a match by scratching it off a fountain! He lights a cigarette! And drops it into a bin! "Desert jackal! Lighting the match in my fountain disguise…!" … "And where do you think the guy dropped it at? GRTJX!"… "Did you hear? They're going to set that bomb in a farm!"… "But they're gonna have a group meeting first: let's follow them and catch them! Devil! They're leaving in a car!"… "Quick! Let's get into the trunk without them noticing!"…"

"YAY!"

"What will foil that?" Zero wondered.

"… "B-but, hey, here…" … "Come on, Boss! Don't discuss and get in! They're going to ignite!"… VROM! BRROM! POUF! RO~H! "To the city: 6 kilometers"… A while later… "To the city: 106 kilometers"… "Well! Here we are: let's go!"… "Brrr! You could've checked it before: this car… has the engine on the rear!"…"

"Whoa. Sure had to be an odd car."

"YAY!"

"… "They stepped into that farm."… "Let's follow! There's a dog!"… "Hah, hah! It's a slipper's size dog. Don't be afraid, man!"… "He even claps at us!"… "Maybe he thinks we're Starky & Hutch…" … "GRRR!" … "Devil, he was waking up the big one!"… "AURG!"… "Ow! Don't run, you coward! Help me!"… "Obviously! I let it munch my navel while you run, no? Well, he let go of you, it'd seem you're not very tasty."… "We'll talk about this, yeah… Ow! Better get jumping this side of the wall. Help me!"… "Yeah, Boss! AHA!"… "Ahah! This is making a clean jump!"… PTCHAF! "BOSS! I see, yeah, a very clean jump!"… GRONF! He landed in the pigs' mud!"

"Oho."

"YAY!"

"… "Come here, come here, I'll cleanse you with this water hose!" PHCSSS! A purple cloud of gas ensues! "Who opened the insecticide's hose? It's very poisonous!"… "Calm down, Boss, calm down! I'll make you a complete oxygen transfusion!"… He uses a blower to blow air into F through the ear! "OK! You're back on your feet! Let's jump the wall once again and…" … "Wait! First check that there aren't pigs!"… He disguises as bird and flies up! "No, Boss… No pigs!"… "Help me jump!"… BLOF! "I… I…"… MU~H! He landed on the cow's tail! TROMPF! "But, Boss… You already back? Why didn't you wait for me to come in?"… "GRJTX! Not telling me there was a cow…!"… "But, Boss… You only told me to check if there were pigs! There wasn't a single one~!"…"

"Man. He takes orders _too_ literally."

"YAY!"

"… "Hey! There's a hole in the wall! I can sneak in without having to jump over."… "Aha! Hole's covered! Vermin won't get in anymore!"… "What happened, Boss? Your nose is popping out from your nape! Today ain't your lucky day, eh, Boss?"… "We're all gathered!"… "Here's the gizmo!"… "Let's light the fuse!"… "Devil! This is the farm which they intend to blow up! Gotta stop it! Up I go!"… F uses M as a stair! PAM! "O~h!"… "How cute~!"… "Look at all those lil donkeys and lil pigs flying sky-high!"… "Wanna the cow, wanna the cow!"… It was a cracker with animal toys inside of it!"

"Man. They took the initiative, for once, and it was a misunderstanding…"

"… "Brrr! What a howler! What a howler we did!"… "Hey, Mortadelo & Filemón! What a sour face, man! You look like you've swallowed a tube of castor oil plant plus carbide! That's what you get for breathing this foul air… You should spend a season in a county farm and see how…! W-what did I say? What are ya gonna do…? What?"… REPULSING VANDALISM! The firefighters had to get a poor guy outta a mailbox where he'd been stuffed: through the slit! Scene witness talk about the presence of two types, one bald and another with two hair strings which…" … "But, Boss, I think you needn't… Without adding stamps and all…"… "Shaddup! Get me a scarf!"… Both were hiding in the North Pole! Heh, heh, heh!"

"Man. What madness."

"And thus ends Chapter 9… And begins Chapter 10!"

"YAY! DOUBLE YAY! TRIPLE YAY!"

"… "I'm fed up! The "Bombers" keep placing bombs there and there and you're wasting the time!"… Mr. Super rushes into a "TIA" room where F was playing with an _origami_! "Look! This latest one: camouflaged as a fake hairy spider that has been found in Leando Bank! They've left it on a corridor and the banker came in…"… M comes in! "A~GH! A hairy spider! I hate 'em! Eat this!"… "No!"… BOOM!"

"M always screws it up, eh?"

"… "M-man, Mr. Super! What a sneeze!"… "I'm fed up! FED UP!"… "Hold back, Mr. Super! What will the neighbors think?"… "See, another! Our spies heard Jack "Rat" talking about hiding it on a doll… So they went to his place and picked it before he could place it… Take it somewhere far and deactivate it before it goes off! And be careful! One hit and… BANG! "Calm down, calm down. I'll handle her like a daughter!"… "Hey! Guys! See, see!"… "A very cute girl, yeah!"… "How he loves his doll!"… "Sing her something to nap!"… "Got a blue-dressed doll…!"… "HAH, HAH, HAH! HOH, HOH, HOH!" … The other agents made a show outta it!"

"They could've thought of it, too!"

"… "What humiliation! Brrr! I'm not going anywhere with this cargo!"…. "Look, Boss, it's leaving on its own!"… "Idiot! I just happened to turn on the walking mechanism! Ah! Someone's gonna step on it!"… "I'll stop it, Boss! Aha! I avoided a catastrophe!" M picks someone's incoming leg and lifts it, thus making them fall into the ground! "You think you're funny, huh'"… "Bestiájez! I, I…"… "Man! Mortadelo! Place the other cheek! You've got this one very irritated!"… PAF! PAF! PAF! PAF! PAF! "Dentist's…? Putf! Yeah, I wanna book a visit… Putf… To place back all left-sided… Putf! Teeth… Ptuf!"… A filling cabinet's leg breaks and it menaces to drop atop the doll! "Ah! The crippled cabinet! It's gonna fall atop it!"… "Calm down, Boss! I'll deviate its fall by throwing something!"… CLONC! BAUM! "See? I did it!"… "Yeah, but… Didn't you have anything else to throw… save for MYSELF?" … "Come on, Boss, come on! I picked what I had at my reach! Look, look! It's coming out into the street!"… "Hurry up and pick it before someone steps on it! Devil! This kid picked it!"… Sandra volunteered for the girl's voice! Sandra!"

"… OK! "Hi, cutie! Where are ya going to alone?"… "Bring this here, you brat, it's not a toy!"… "BUA~H!"… Someone taps F's back! "W-what?"… A brute-looking fella shows up! "Aren't you ashamed of stealing that poor child's doll?"… "B-but!"… PTAF! "Here, cutie, here! And be thankful that I'm good-humored or else…!"… "Y-yes, sir… I appreciate it…"… He ends up atop a street light with both eyes punched!"

"Trouble. With Capital T."

"YAY! TROUBLE STRIKES BACK!"

"… "You took too much time, Boss… Look at me! You gotta catch it and start running… Gotcha, gotcha…!"… "What WERE you going to do, you damned idiot?"… "Gulp! M-me~? Nothing! Heh, heh! I walk like this 'cause I have lumbago!"… "Hum! Dunno! Beware: I'm gonna follow you to keep an eye on you!"… "How frightful! Mortadelo's been walking like that with the brute following him for 7 hours! He finally left, eh? Lucky you! You can stand up!"… "C-can't, Boss… Ow! Can't!"… "Yes. Column deviation, disengaged vertebrae… How did he get the idea to walk twisted the whole day?"… "OW! AH! UA~H!"… CRA-CRA-CRAC!"

"Man. This time M is in the receiving end too, huh? Brings some dynamism to the deal, yeah."

"YAY! DYNAMO DYNAMITE STRIKES BACK!"

"That of "Prophet Jeremy", huh…"

"… "I saw the kid get into that house… I'll come in and get it! Just in case: if I needed to come out through the 1st floor's window… Place something to soothe the blow!"… "Yeah, Boss!"… "Devil! A thief!"… "Devil! The father! And has a shotgun!"… BANG! "Phew! Luckily Mortadelo placed something…"… CRONCH! "You idiot! I told you to place something to soothe the blow!"… "I placed it, Boss! See, see!"… "Perfect optimist's manual, by Feliciano Oróndez"…"

"That's supposed to soothe blows?" Zero laughed.

"… "Well, Boss, ads says that it's ideal to soothe life's blows! CALM DOWN, MAN!"… "I'll give you book! I'll give you!"… F chases him with a gigantic book titled "Uses of lead"! "HUH? There's no bomb here? Only the mechanism to trigger the walking!"… "Yes! It was an interpretation mistake, you see? We caught "Rat" and it turns out that the bomb… had been hidden, attached with tape… IN HIS WRIST! That was funny, huh?"…"

"Another of Ibañez's puns… "Muñeca" means both "doll" and "wrist" and it turned out it was the latter!" Zero sighed.

"YAY! DOLL WRIST PUN!"

"… "Whaddya doing? You guys mad? Hold "Vengeance", the killer boa, back! It's gonna swallow me~!"… "I don't get it, man! Mortadelo told me to "let the vengeance run"!"… "It must be an interpretation "error", Boss! Heh, heh, heh!"… End of chapter 10!"

"And their usual revenge on Mr. Super."

"Teaser for chapter 11! The last one! Gyms, equipment and safeties! And, also… The extra story as well… The "Primavero" AKA "Spring Man"! V!"

"B!"

"N!"

"V-B-N! Off Air! See you around! That's all for today, folks! Bugs Bunny says you need to eat more carrots!"

"Marchando! You know what? Sam Yosemite says he needs YOU for his theme park." Burner Man laughed.

"Shah, shah, shah! And Taz says he wants to taste roasted duck!" Needle Man added.

"Heh. The Looney Tunes…"

"YAY!"

"Ok, guys, show's over! Get back to work!"

"YAY! CAPT'N!"

The Program – kun guys rushed back to their jobs and Zero interacted with the screens again: he then opened one and spotted a grayish Heel Navi who was standing at some distance from a camera.

"The guy from some weeks ago…?" Zero wondered.

"Let's have some _sake_ at the canteen and talk about old times!"

"Quick! Dream Bit! Create a Bamboo Tower cage!"

"Beep!"

"Too late, kiddo! See ya 'round the canteen!"

By the time the Bamboo Towers formed the Navi had run off the platform and jumped into the abyss: Zero grumbled and brought down the right fist in the right armrest out of annoyance.

"Shit. I'm sure it's an avatar of the "ghost" and he decided to send it out to taunt us." He grumbled.

"Zero? Is something the matter?"

"Ah. Boss."

Slur floated down from above and landed behind him so he got off the chair and stood up.

"The "ghost" sent the Navi with old man's dialect again to taunt us and fled before I could trap them."

"I see." She wasn't surprised.

"Sorry for the blunder."

"Do not mind it. It is not like it shall be easy. This opponent is not as foolish as others who were led by weak emotions… This one is cool, rational, and, above all… patient."

"Yeah. We've guessed all of that already."

"Indeed… And I think that we should expect some kind of move from their part in the days to come…"

"Hum. Some move… I guess they won't be hitting the 3 parties at the same time so… It must be something else."

"Yes. I get that feeling yet… Do not mind me. I was speculating. I shall resume my investigation… Maybe it is about time I compared information with young Kuroban… He should be willful to…"

"That could help us: they said they knew something we don't."

Slur nodded and floated away while Zero sighed and sat back on the armchair: too many mysteries pending answers…


	7. Chapter 7: City of the Sun

**Chapter 7: City of the Sun**

06:16 AM (Bangkok Time), Monday July the 4th…

"… Hum. So you citizens have gathered."

"I want to expose my plan and get permit for a sortie!"

"Then expose. Citizen Desert Man."

"With your permission, "Ghost" – sama!"

"Do any of you hold any objections?"

"No, "Ghost" – sama."

"Excellent. Let us begin."

The 7 members of "Jet – Black Phoenix" (Desert Man being the 7th one) had gathered beneath a gray stone dome with eight thick arches stretching from it: the surroundings were rather unlit but all of the Navis' shapes could be spotted and they could be seen forming a circle around them: some metallic cubical pedestals with red, green and blank buttons were set in front of each.

Set beneath its center was a cubicle formed by golden curtains which fluttered by the wind: a sitting person's shape could be vaguely recognized inside of it and their voice was but a whisper.

"Ahem! My plan consists of creating advantageous terrain and optical effects to disable and confuse the opponent… Followed by serial attacks from split-offs of myself… I'll also camouflage as part of the terrain and form a clone which will be the focus of all attacks and will keep on rebuilding the whole time… Like this… I can tire out the opponent and when they're weak I can finish them off! The details and the simulation are already uploaded in the computer." He explained while forming a grin at the end.

"Good. Begin the reviewing. 5 minutes." "Ghost" softly ordered in a formal and polite manner.

"Acknowledged."

The other Navis brought up holographic screens and began to look at some images, video and text: a counter floating above the lower edge of the screen displayed the remaining time for them to execute the reviewing: they then began to steadily close down the screens: the buttons on the terminals ignited.

"Voting time. Remember: only with an approval of 50% or above you shall be allowed to execute this operation. Citizen."

"I know our rules: I abide by them!" Desert Man announced.

"Good. 5 minutes to decide your vote. System: on."

The Navis began to seemingly think of what they should vote: Magic Man and Drill Man glanced at each other and Drill Man nodded in agreement so Magic Man shrugged his shoulders: Elec Man grumbled under his breath as he side-glanced at them: Laser Man was silent and had folded his arms: Flame Man was mumbling something under his breath and Flash Man was leaning both hands on the sides of his body as if trying to pose as confident.

"2 minutes left." "Ghost" reminded them.

The Navis merely nodded to acknowledge: they then began to press the button signaling their votes: a new screen displayed a graph with the fields "Approved", "Rejected" and "Blank": there were 3 "Approved", 2 "Rejected" and 1 "Blank".

"50%. Approved." "Ghost" calmly announced.

"Thank you, my fellow citizens! I shall do my best!" Desert Man grinned and sounded eager.

"To make a fool of yourself." Flash Man taunted.

"E~h! I'm your CO!"

"Not anymore. Gramps."

"Oh yeah?"

"Ahem, ahem." "Ghost" calmly called for their attention.

"Yikes!" Both gasped.

"It would seem that… someone would like to spend 30 days in a shut-down state. Am I wrong?" "Ghost" icily questioned.

Desert Man quickly warped out while Flash Man kneeled in front of the cubicle: the others remained silent.

"I shall offer no excuses." He calmly announced.

"I hope so. It gets tiresome. And annoying."

"Eh… I know, sir." He gulped and dared to look up.

"I am afraid that you have exceeded yourself with this display. You are to be quarantined for 5 days. Or would you rather prefer to be shut down for 30 days instead?" "Ghost" announced.

"N-no, my Lord! I abide." He gasped.

"Then get to your quarters… immediately."

Flash Man gasped and quickly warped out while the other Navis remained on their places as if fearing they would be scolded next.

"Whether you succeed or not… Is of no importance. The point of your sorties is to display how you have researched on yourselves and have found how to steadily improve yourselves. Trial and error. Such is the pathway of Net Navis." "Ghost" calmly reminded them all.

"We know!" They all acknowledged.

"You may leave… save for Citizen Laser Man. There is some talk which we must do. If you do not mind."

"O-of course not, "Ghost" – sama." Laser Man quickly replied.

The other 4 left the room and Laser Man remained there: the sound of fingers tapping against wooden armrests rang out as if it was a way for "Ghost" to state that they weren't in a good mood: Laser Man gulped and seemed to expect some punishment.

"So. Regarding your pointless obsession…"

"Eh… Yes?"

"Kuroban Howsad was right in one thing: Styx is not to blame. He just did what YOU told him to do. That is: to fight to the end. Like a "Darkloid". And so he did. So?"

"B-but… "Ghost" – sama… Didn't you say you were interested in my hatred and grudge when you "recruited" me?"

"I was not being truthful. It was what would tempt you the most: I was interested in your battle potential."

"I see…"

"So? And what if he then went and absorbed you? He just thought that, together, you could win. You could not. But the point is that you triggered that yourself because you showed cowardice and weakness. Which a "Darkloid" was not _supposed_ to have."

"Hum… Yes… When exposed like this…" He was seemingly trying to avoid the topic altogether.

"I do not care if it shatters your illusion that you were right. Facts are facts and they cannot be changed. I saw it with my own eyes: how you built Styx and how you told him what he was supposed to do and how he was supposed to fight like. I could play it back for you in case some of your memory files are missing. Which I think not. Because, then again, I am the one who picked the remains of you and Styx and re-assembled them to then store them in MY server. Which I offered to Kuboran Howsad and he acquired the data to "revive" you two…" "Ghost" insisted.

"Yes, I understand…"

"I do not think so!" Their voice began to increase as if to show increasing annoyance.

Laser Man gulped and remained firm on the place.

"Styx IS NOT to blame. YOU are to blame. Because YOU tried to RUN like a COWARD. Did other "Darkloids" do it? Shade Man did not. Cloud Man did not. Cosmo Man did not. Styx did not." "Ghost" listed.

Laser Man seemingly knew he was out of possible arguments and he merely remained there.

"Enough. Retire to your quarters. Take your time to come up with some new strategy. And that it does not involve petty tricks like invisible shields, that is." "Ghost" brusquely moved the right hand and arm towards the right as a dismissing gesture.

"R-roger."

"And you know that is impossible to attempt to escape from "Helios" without me knowing. For am I the administrator of this city, the City of the Sun… I am "XY"… And you are under the law of Helios. Not my law. The law of "Helios". The founder of the city. I, as the inheritor of their will, must make sure that their will and law are preserved. I shall not tolerate any idiocies: am I clear enough, Laser Man EXE? Be glad that I kept you here or else Kuroban would have deleted you out of annoyance and having run out of patience. I could have done that too but I have granted you a chance to try to prove you are not an imbecile." "XY" stood up and signaled Laser Man with the right index finger.

"O-of course, "XY" – sama… I obey, I obey… And I am grateful for this chance…"

"And! Remember! I will not tolerate any attempts to stain Styx's life! None! Nothing! Kuroban did the right thing when he rebuilt his personality and allowing him to live a noble life. I shall not let a fool who will not admit their cowardice ruin it because they are unable to win in a battle. Use the HEAD to battle, not the hatred. Dismissed!"

Laser Man warped out and "XY" sat back on the armchair inside of the cubicle while sighing.

"By Helios! "Darkloids"? Mere self-gloating! You are but a Net Navi who has too much ego for their own sake. Why must Net Navis be in need of such needles ego? Because it makes them feel "strong"? What foolishness: it only leads to self-destruction! Use your HEAD! Fools!"

_By the will of Helios… I shall make you realize how to use the HEAD! HMPF!_

07:33 AM (Philippines Time)…

"… Mugro~h… Come out, you punks! Desert Man – sama will bury you 100 feet under the great me's sands!"

"Hmpf… Desertification… The greatest enemy of nature, huh?"

"Huh? Show yourself!"

"Fine. I'm Ruthless Vine. And I'll teach you how we deal with trespassers into Shunoros' HQ Cyber World!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Fool! Be buried forever!"

"We'll see about that."

Desert Man got inside of a Cyber World decorated with the logo of "Shunoros" in the background and one of their members jumped down from a platform higher in the air (which had a Warp Point on it) and into the sand-filled ground.

Ruthless Vine's design looked like it was heavily biased on that of Blue Wave's with some differences.

The helmet design used a patch of pale green as main coloring: the forehead had been extended forward to form a triangle: this triangle had a patch colored in a lush green color coupled with two small rectangular yellow-colored slits on the bottom edges close to the metallic edge circling the prolongation and which were largely reminiscent of eyes: the "kusa" or "grass" _Kanji_ had been colored in a mud brown color on the very front of the helmet.

The rest of the helmet used that pale green coloring in a small patch above the lush green segment and in the parts near the rear: two small metallic extensions flanked the sides of the head.

These ended at the same level as the lower jaw: a brownish square with two triangle ends allowed for the fusion of the helmet's segment mid-way across the head and two metallic short-length lances aiming diagonally upwards extending past the head: A pair of transparent greenish shades covered his eyes the irises of which were emerald green too.

His chest armor was rather flat in contrast to Blue Wave's and the initials "RV" in a mud brown color had been set on the center.

A small additional lush green plaque with a trapeze-shaped indentation on its lower edge had been attached blow the chest armor by the use of two white hexagons which also were reminiscent of eyes.

A brownish edge surrounded the neck's base and travelled irregularly across half of the shoulder armor's upper edges: it turned metallic white and ended as spikes aiming outwards right on the outer edge of the shoulders' armor: their lower half was also colored lush green and the division was set as line forming two "V" shapes on its path.

His forearms' design and his boots' design were identical to Blue Wave's save for the different coloring.

"Mwah, hah, hah! Go! Lion Heads!"

Some lion-shaped heads made of sand sprouted out of 8 spots and headed for Ruthless Vine as Desert Man dived into the sand to hit: Ruthless Vine merely made his forearms glow and hit the floor with them: a patch of dry ground formed and a wall of bushes with thick branches formed: they effectively blocked up the incoming attacks and Ruthless Vine began to look around.

"Ant Holes! Heavy Sand!"

Some "ant holes" formed around the patch of ground followed by a cube of hard sand which fell from above: Ruthless Vine smirked and jumped upwards to touch it with both hands and make it become a cube of ground instead: he then threw it at a spot where Desert Man's crown could be seen and hit the guy before landing there and transforming the terrain to force him to emerge.

"I got inspired by the Lanel Desert in _Skyward Sword_ and the Time-Space Stones… In the past it was green and bountiful but centuries of climate change turned it into a desert… So I'm going to turn you into bountiful prairie too!" He smirked.

"Damn you~… I had to find the worst possible opponent!"

"Yeah. And you're going to go back with the tail between the legs and beg for mercy! Mistletoe Seed!"

Ruthless Vine formed some seeds which latched into different spots of Desert Man and opened: they began to drain HP off the guy and transfer them to Ruthless Vine.

"And I know your weakness too. Battle Card, Wide Wave X!"

Ruthless Vine shot a wide wave of water at Desert Man, who began to absorb it but was unable to move in the meanwhile: Ruthless Vine then drew a greenish energy blade.

"Sword Fighter X! 5 serial cuts!"

Ruthless Vine delivered 5 cuts which broke Desert Man into pieces and he collapsed: he suddenly regenerated and appeared again.

"I am invincible~!"

"Fool." Someone grumbled.

"Oh! Prince, sir!"

"Who?"

A new warrior suddenly dropped down into the ground to the right of Ruthless Vine and he saluted.

The newcomer was about a meter and eighty tall or taller and he seemed to be on his 20s given what could be seen of his face: he wore armor and helmet over his body.

The helmet design was compact and thick: it included silver plating around the neck and its base, a main purple and black coloring, black shades and a green symbol which looked like a unicursal hexagram colored pale green and having some unknown runes written on its circular edge painted on the forehead.

He wore some curious armor over his body: it was colored with purple tones on the outer edges but black on the center: the same forehead emblem was set on the middle of his chest.

His shoulders were black ellipsoids with purple-colored outer edges and having some other green fluorescent runic symbols drawn over them: his arms "skin" was black in color and the armor over the forearms had an external golden rim from which three parallel golden lines extended until the fingertips.

The feet armor started at the knees and used a tint of purple for the outer edges but the main armor kept on using the black motif: silver-colored lines extended parallel to each other until the feet fingertips.

The unarmored body "skin" was also black in color and had intricate green fluorescent patterns running down its sides, front and rear.

"Kuroban Howsad. Leader of "Shunoros"… Come! Aristeros Shield, Dexia Sword!"

The Aristeros Shield formed and he gripped it with the left hand while the Dexia Sword (colored white, having a golden hilt and the "Boundary" emblem on the hilt's center) showed up next: he picked it with the right hand and grinned.

"Let's go! Surprise Attack!"

Kuroban ran forward and suddenly vanished out of sight to drop from above and make a cut across the height of Desert Man's back: he broke down and formed again.

"I'm INMORTAL!" He proclaimed.

"Hum! We'll see about that, by the High One… Ruthless! Grass Stage!"

"Roger, sir! Grass Stage!"

"Oh shit!"

A Grass Stage formed and another Desert Man was revealed, having been hiding SW of both fighters' current position.

"I knew it. That's the real body. This is a clone. I'll handle it, Ruthless, so go back and wait in the throne room."

"Roger, Prince."

"Alright. I'll have you for desserts today. Did Dullahan forget to tell you we have BRAINS?" Kuroban taunted.

"Damn you, Laser Man! I knew it!" Desert Man howled.

"Fight me."

"Great Lion Head! Ant Holes! Heavy Sand! Mwah, hah, hah!"

The Great Lion Head multiplied into 16 of them which came out of all corners and headed for Kuroban: 16 "ant holes" formed around the perimeter and the Heavy Sand fell from above: Kuroban smirked and merely aimed the Aristeros Shield upwards: the Heavy Sand broke upon impact and he jumped into the air to dodge the incoming Great Lion Heads which destroyed each other: Desert Man gasped and Kuroban landed in front of him while aiming his blade upwards.

"Power born from the jet-black Dark! Grant within my hands the power of fatality!"

The "Oreichalcos Boundary" formed on the terrain and Kuroban was surrounded by a blackish "aura" while he smirked: Desert Man gasped and seemed to feel some kind of "pressure".

"I'll bring out the lil cousin."

"HUH? Lil cousin?"

"Come! "Nendoll"!"

The PKMN "Nendoll" formed there and stared at Desert Man: it then began to hover into the air.

"Go! "Supernatural Power"!"

"Nendoll" formed an energy-based attack which hit Desert Man: he howled and tried to dive out of instinct but the Grass Stage and the "Boundary" stopped him from.

"Next! "Earth Power"!"

"Mugroh!"

"Nendoll" made the ground beneath Desert Man erupt with force and he got hit: Kuroban spotted a wound and plunged his "Dexia Sword" there before pulling back: some pieces of data had attached to it and he quickly had the sword absorb them.

"This will be interesting to study."

"Damn it! Great Lion…!"

"It's still my Turn! It's always my Turn! Heh, heh! Those Yu-Gi-Oh MAD videos are SO much fun. _Zutto ore no taan_! "Psyche Beam"!"

"Mugro~h!"

The next attack inflicted further wounds and the "Dexia Sword" began to absorb more data: "Nendoll" then began to glow so Kuroban smirked and placed the "Aristeros Shield" in front of his body to shield himself.

"Go! "Great Explosion"!"

"Nendo~ru~!"

The PKMN self-destructed and the brutal energy output hit Desert Man, breaking some parts of his body including his hands: the "Jet Black Phoenix" ensued and, instead of trying to crash against the "Boundary", it managed to warp inside and wrap Desert Man to then produce the classical effect and warp him away from there: the "Boundary" converged on Kuroban, flashed, and vanished: he then threw the weapons into the air and they vanished.

"Good. Let's go to the throne room."

Kuroban warped out of the Cyber World and into a real world room made of steel and illuminated by torches which had an elevated platform in the middle containing a black onyx throne: there were two armored doors at the south and north ends and a small door on the west wall.

"Kisei Mutt. You there?"

"Yes, Prince. I saw it. Splendid, sir."

"Of course."

Kisei Mutt was about the age and height of the other guys: his hair had been tinted green and it was neatly combed while his irises were emerald green.

His face had some marks of previous cuts and blows which had mainly faded by now.

His clothes consisted on a sleeveless leather jacket, a lush green sweater, a pair of slightly worn-down jeans and sneakers.

He had a greenish PET with Ruthless Vine's emblem on it.

"And by "lil cousin" you were making a joke out of the fact that the "Oreichalcos Shunoros" looks like "Nendoll" since both are based on the Joumon period "shakoukidoguu" clay figurines…"

"Correct. Oh well. Now only Gray is pending his _debut_ of the season and I hope he behaves… Speaking of behaving, did you check that Sieg is still on the base and didn't try to sneak out with Urateido or the others in the joke club?" Kuroban asked Kisei.

"I did, sir. I don't think he'd do something so foolish but nevertheless it doesn't hurt to check."

"Good enough."

"I'll be going. I've got some errands to run in the city… By the way, Prince, does the Kyutora base still work?"

"Sure does. Ironic, huh? We bothered to enter cold sleep and travel across the Solar System for 4 months to reach it but in the end we changed our policy and it became rather meaningless… And being on a deserted planet wasn't good for morale, either, so we've relocated to here again… At least we did step into another world. And it wasn't Mars. Ironic!" He explained with some resignation before smirking.

"Truly, sir. Oh well. Maybe it'll do as a data backup center: we could keep important data there."

"Good thinking. Thanks to the "portal" machines we can instant-travel to Kyutora so… It's easy."

"What happened to the "Ark", the mobile space-station?"

"It's still orbiting Kyutora. It serves as a relay satellite as well so it can provide 3G signal and carrier signal to several spots near the base in case the main antenna failed."

"I see, sir. I apologize for taking up your time, sir."

"Oh no. Don't worry. Go on ahead."

"Roger, sir!"

Kisei left the room and Kuroban chuckled under his breath: a holographic screen popped out and it showed Slur standing in front of a firewall while folding her arms.

"Slur, huh? Took her time to decide to come over… Oh well. I guess I can share the info we have on the "Ghost" by now… Come in, Slur. I'm on the throne room."

"Alright."

Slur swung her right hand and formed a purplish spinning "gateway": she became a bolt of yellow lightning and jumped inside: the "gateway" formed in the room and she leapt out to reform there: she landed on the ground and Kuroban walked down the steps to be at ground level.

"You want info on the "ghost". We know their voice. And their title as well…"

"Oh?"

"… "XY"…"

"… "XY"… Hmmm…" Slur seemed to be thinking of something.

"Ring a bell?"

"I think so."

"Then, as we thought…?"

"Highly probable… I would need to do some research beforehand but…"

"Alright. As for the voice… Here's a recording we luckily got because Gray had set a spy camera on Laser Man as he was doing maintenance of the robot body… Look."

_A holographic screen popped out and it showed Laser Man standing in a room: he was __working on what seemed to be a tall headless robot shaped like an European knight's armor: it used purple as the main color but had some spots with yellow and white coloring: the robot also had a purple-reddish cape attached to the back._

"_I need to improve the mobility." Laser Man muttered._

_He'd lifted the chest plate to reveal some hydraulic systems to move the arms and legs plus the central miniature power core: he was wielding a wrench on the left hand and a lantern in the right on to provide better illumination given how the cover itself blocked most of the ceiling's fluorescent tubes' light._

"_To think I was able to crush petty humans with this body's hands and create an atmosphere of terror…! Yet it all seems to have faded by now: the damned traitor must be to blame! One day I'll bury them in endless "Dark"…!"_

"_Du-lla-ha-n. Pissing me off AGAIN?"_

"_Huh! P-Prince, sir!"_

_Kuroban had suddenly stepped in behind Laser Man: he gasped and turned around while automatically saluting: he did remember to switch off the lantern._

"_How MANY times do we need to go over THIS?" Kuroban was already annoyed._

"_W-well, sir, I…" He trailed off._

"_ARE YOU AN IDIOT?" Kuroban began to yell._

"_N-no, sir…!"_

"_PROVE IT, BY THE HIGH ONE!"_

"_R-roger, sir…!"_

"_OR ELSE I'M SO GONNA FORMAT YOUR WHOLE MEMORIES AND TURN YOU INTO SOMEONE FAR MORE INTELLIGENT!"_

"_R-roger, sir…! I shall… prove my worth, sir!"_

"_YOU BETTER DO!"_

"_R-roger, sir…!"_

"_I'M HAL: I'M WATCHING YOU! LIKE I WAS A BABYSITTER! BY THE HIGH ONE: I, THE PRINCE, HAVING TO BABYSIT A DARKLOID! THIS WORLD HAS GONE MAD!" His foreign accent became accentuated._

_SLAM!_

_Kuroban rushed out and slammed the door on the way out: Laser Man sighed and seemed to come to terms with the situation._

"No wonder." Slur wasn't surprised.

"Yeah. I know. Good riddance, even."

"_Can't be helped… I guess my grudge clouds my judgment… I must prove my worth or I know what's in store for me…" _

"_Oh? Grudge, you say? That could be interesting." A voice rang out of nowhere._

"_Who's there?" Laser Man demanded._

"_10 seconds."_

"_10 seconds?"_

"_Do you want to unleash that "grudge" into the one you "grudge" and thus erase them? I can concede you that desire."_

"_B-but… I am loyal to the Prince…! He rebuilt me, after all!"_

"_But I was the one who gathered your data and then gave it to the Prince – dono so that you could be rebuilt… I am "XY"…" The newcomer's voice announced next._

"Hmmm… Soft, yet manly… It is a man, yes…"

"I didn't doubt that."

"_2 seconds."_

"… _Yet…! If I could erase them, then…! Yes…! I'm fed up with being controlled…! We "Darkloids" are beings of the "Dark Cyber World": we don't need a human to control us! We should be the ones controlling the humans: damned Shade Man! I'll bury you too for your treason. I accept: I don't mind pledging loyalty to you." Laser Man sounded eager._

"_Do not worry. I shall not stop you. I shall only provide you a refuge: you then decide what to do. But if I need you to run a mission then… You would accept it? A mission in which you would set the fear on society by proving that you have returned?" "XY" asked._

"_Delighted!"_

"_Excellent. As they popularly say… Welcome onboard."_

"_Wait!"_

"_Too late, Kuroban Howsad! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"_

"_Alas, it is too late. Warp Magic!"_

"_Wha!"_

"_My eyes!"_

_Kuroban and Eisei had rushed into the room but there was a blinding flash: when it vanished both Laser Man and the robot were gone and only the lantern and wrench were left in the room._

"_Fuck. Too slow." Eisei cursed._

"_By the High One! "XY", is it? They want war, huh? I'll give them war, by the High One!" Kuroban cursed._

"_It must be some system based on "Dimensional Converter" warp but greatly improved… Or it could be a mere flash and they use a "portal" like the ones we own…!" Eisei deduced._

"Enough."

Kuroban shut down the screen and Slur rubbed her chin.

"I think that was bait."

"Bait? Sure looks like it by now. Seeing how he hasn't really inflicted any "fear"… Or maybe he was eager to try out those new moves on Alex and try to intimidate Styx…"

"I know. I shall go inform Solo as well.

"Burai, huh? Oh well. Do as you like. And I know we'll have another rematch one of these days but I don't mind it."

"I know. And do try to keep some control on Eisei or the mood will worsen… It is tense enough already…"

"Yeah, I know."

Slur headed back and Kuroban sat back on the throne: he then snapped his right hand's fingers and materialized the "Dexia Sword": the absorbed data got released and it formed the letters "XY" in the air before they self-deleted: he cursed as he violently stood up and looked around but was seemingly unable to recover them.

"Shit. There had to be some form of live monitoring and the data got swapped just as I was about to get it. This "XY" rascal sure is obsessed with leaving no traces behind. One day we'll figure out your true colors although Slur and I have got a pretty neat idea insofar. We'll see if you'll actually be a fan of "D"…"

"Is something the matter, Prince?" Ernst popped his head into the room but didn't seem to be too surprised.

"No. Just a lil setback… But it's of no consequence."

Ernst nodded and closed the door while Kuroban sat back on the armchair and distractedly looked at the "Dexia Sword".

"_XY"… Been around for years, collecting Navi data and building that elusive "ghost server"… Maybe you're as ugly as one, even. HEH!_

09:11 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Here I am. Kage and Andy… What's the catch?"

"Slur – sama got some info from Kuroban… Regarding the "Ghost"."

"And we were told to relay it to you, Solo."

"Good enough. Tell me."

Kage and Andy had been sitting in a bench in one pier of the port and looking at the sea when a guy approached them.

This guy, Solo, was a young man around twenty five years old.

His hair was white and unkempt given how it formed a bundle aiming for every direction downwards: there was no sense of order in there.

His irises' color was blood red and he currently rather serious.

Other traits on his face were red facial marking trailing down his right cheek starting from below his right eye and which was reminiscent of a thunderbolt: two golden earrings evoking some tradition or culture were clipped to his ears.

He wore one custom-made bodysuit the primary color of which was jet black and which was a combination of a sleeveless sweater, a normal sweater and baggy pants which also served as shoes.

The suit also had linear cyan patterns proceeding from around his stomach to the tips of his feet: the sleeves, however, were colored in a dust-like brown colored and ended in orange-colored cuffs.

Woven across the chest was a crest like colored yellow which could be described as two opposing halves of a square with a line climbing down from their SE and SW edges: this line connected with another heading towards the left and then ran diagonally towards the center of the chest.

A small square dot was set in the middle of the space between both parallel and mirrored drawings.

"The name's "XY" and they're a man. But that's all."

"It's something." Solo replied.

"Slur – sama seems to believe that the "Jet Black Phoenix" title is to distract and he doesn't really lead a criminal gang."

"Oh? That'd be a first." Solo lifted an eyebrow.

"Guess that. Want to spend a while and listen to M &F?"

"Why not… I've been training too much as of late. I need something to shake off the tension."

He sat on a nearby bench as Kage drew the Link PET and placed it to his right on the bench.

"Today, in V – B – N… The last chapter of "The Bombers"! Action! "Mortadelo! Filemón! We gotta shake that rascal that…!"… RLON! RLON! RLON! PLAC! BOUM! … "Super-strike, Boss! Heh, heh! You knocked 10 pins instead of 9!"… "M-Mr. Super…! Y-you're not offended, right? OWWW!"… "Man! Boss! Why didn't you shut the mouth when he tried to stuff the ball inside?"… "Enough fooling around! Our spies have discovered the hideout of the "Bombers" gang! It's an old gym where they store the explosives: this is the address! Go, catch the big boss there, and confiscate the bombs!"… "We'll have to be careful! Anything can be a camouflaged bomb…" … "Bah! Relax, Boss! I can smell one from miles away!"… "This is the gym: I'll try to open with the pick-lock…"… BANG! "Aha! I told you I could smell bombs, Boss… Sniff, sniff… There WAS one there! Man, Boss, relax! The good side of it is that it's already open!"…"

"Hmpf… You should say that before opening the door, fool…" Solo made a smug smile.

"… "Let's go! Brrr! As long as I don't hit a TNT barrel…!"… "Boss, just in case… Could you pay the 50 Z ya owe me? Well! If you couldn't then you only need to say it!"… "Hum! A hanging ladder which leads to the attic: I'll check it out!"… "It's odd that it bears your weight, Boss!"… "Don't say nonsense! I'm fed up with climbing rope ladders and not…!"… "Well, you mean normal ladders, yeah, but… these crossbars read "Gum 2 Caliber 28"…"… "A~h!"… "Boss! You got dizzy! When did you eat last?"..."

"Man. Gum 2 explosives disguised as crossbars." Andy muttered with some surprise.

"Heh, heh, heh. Guess it's a trap for Snake."

"Hmpf… Guess that."

"… "Not warning me before…! I'm gonna strangle you~!"… "Boss! Sorry, but you've got some brute "hobbies"! Gl, gl, gl!"… "Huff! What a fright I had! I'm gonna have some water. This water has an odd color!"… "Yeah, it looks like…"… WHRAM! "Ah, I know! It was NITROGLICERIN! Well, Boss, one can't remember it all on the spot!"… "Brrr! Let's split the searches: I don't want donkeys around me!"… "Hoh, hoh! You had a family fight again? What mood!"…"

"Sheesh. That of the Filemón is a donkey is overused. Don't they have something else?" Andy sighed.

"Maybe you'd preferred a snake?" Kage chuckled.

"Or a puma."

"I give up."

"… "Hey! A trampoline! Heh, heh! It's been a while since I had fun with one!"… "Devil! They even have a submarine mine! I'll bring it to the Boss to see what he says… Why! The cart's handle broke off!"… "Heh, heh! Let's see if I beat my own height record!" BOING! TCHONC! BAOUMMM! "G-guess I did…"… "But, Boss… You're to blame! Who told you to act the kangaroo? Ah! Look, Boss, look!"… "It's Heriberto "Fuse", big boss of the "Bombers"!"… "Yeah! Ya found me but ya won't catch me alive! Another step and I hammer-hit the bomb! The whole city will blow up!"… There's a gigantic torpedo-shaped bomb behind him which does look like it could take out the whole city!"

"Whoa. So the big boss was in the hideout. Like Sakaki!" Kage whistled in surprise.

"Or Akagi." Solo smirked.

"Or G-Cis." Andy dully added.

"… "Hah, hah! You can't! It's got the safety on!"… "Safety? What safety…?"… TONC! "Heh, heh! The safety trick: it never fails!"… M throws a shoe of his: and it had an iron weight inside! "Well! The "TIA" guys will have ya confess… The rest of the gang will fall like a mature tomato!"… "Let's wait for Mr. Super to come and give him this present!"… "Don't hit it! If it exploded… We're all done for!"… BANG! "Heh, heh, heh, heh! What's the matter, you two? Heh, heh! It was a joke! It was a fritters bag! Ah! You waking up? Heh, heh! You've got a horrible face! T-that lost glare… T-that drooling mouth… Those twitched fingers… What?"…"

"Doom Dragon descended!" Kage laughed.

"How original."

"Heh."

"… "A~h! This is insubordination! You'll hear from me when I get to the ground!"… They tied him to a missile with the label "Neutron Bomb" and dropped him from a plane! "It's a joke, man! It doesn't have any of those neutrons! It only has dynamite, TNT and pellets equally distributed!"… The End of the "Bombers"!"

"And it ends with the usual vengeance on Mr. Super, huh? This time for giving them such a scare…" Andy muttered.

"And let us narrate the short-story "El Primavero"! Action! "Ah! Spring finally came… People begin their trips… The flowers blossom… And the happy birds…"… It's actually an irony because there's a funeral car which has a coffin and followed by a vulture! "Spring is beautiful, right, my fellow?"… PTCHOC! "Beautiful? With the irritation I got on the back of my neck…! GRFTJX!"… "Man! Some guys have no sense of poetry!"… "Boss! Did ya know? The "Primavero" has come in!"… "Don't be an analphabet, man! It's "primavera"! Spring has come in!"… "Well. I dunno how you call the guy at home but fact is that the "Primavero" has come in… And left the safe emptier than my gasoline tank at month's end!"…"

"I see. It's a male form of the word "spring", eh?" Kage chuckled.

"Ibañez and his male word obsession… Sireno, Primavero…"

"… "Devil! But… You didn't try to stop him?"… "Of course, Boss! I drew in a flash, like John Wayne and… BANG! BANG!"… "Thank goodness! And you brought him down?"… "Well, no, it's still standing, 'cause it's got four legs…"… "I-it's got four LEGS?"… "Yeah, see, see… You know my aiming is terrible so…"… "M-Mr. Super's TV! But you said "bang, bang"! And the other shot? It didn't…?"… "Don't bring it up, Boss! I haven't dared to open that door yet!"… "What d…? AH!"… Mr. Super's glass door!"

"Oho."

"Man."

"… "Dear me, dear me! Ah! Thank goodness! He wasn't here!"… "Phew! What a relief! They could've denounced me for sacrificing pigs in closed season! Heh, heh!"… BLAM! "Don't worry, man! You only pierced the pig's ham!"… "AH!"… It had actually hit his right foot! "I'll end up unscathed myself! Nobody is sent to the dungeon for crushing a damned worm!"… "B-but don't gallop like that, man! You'll ruin your foot! Besides, you're to blame for spending the day snoring with the legs atop the desk! If you had the head as everyone has then it wouldn't have happened!"… "Why not?"… "Of course! Boss always says your head's like a boulder… And bullets bounce on boulders!"… "It's a LIE! A LIE~!"… "I'll give you boulder! I'll give you yet!"… "I'll remember this, you rascal… I'll remember this!"… "A~GH! The safe! The safe's empty~! I had a package with something valuable inside of the safe! Something which allowed me to stand over mere mortals! Something to look at people from the top to the bottom! Something which turned me into a superior being! You must get that package back no matter what! Go hunt the trail of the "Primavero" and steal it back!" … Hum! It's gotta be Asterix's magic potion! One blow and they go flying!"

"Guess that." Kage laughed.

"I suspect it'll be something worthless in the end." Solo seemed to guess from the tone of it.

"Join the club." Andy ironically told him.

"Hmpf. If there's so much room…"

"… "Yeah! Bing, bang and done! And if we fail…?"… "Well, maybe you'd like to have a bath in the pool of Michelangelo, the man-eater?"… A small pool with an ominous shark fin circling inside of it! Maybe it's a Spanish cousin of Jaws?"

"Sheesh. It's not something to make fun of."

"… "No, man, it was a saying!"… "We don't bathe 'till the 42nd of August, anyway!"… GOR! GLO! GLO! GLOP! "Huh?"… "I'm going to cleanse the pool, Mr. Super, before tadpoles breed on it…" … It turned out to be a fake fin which used a mechanical arm and axis to spin! ... "So THAT's Michelangelo, eh? Hoh, hoh, hoh!"… "The man-eater! Hyah, hyah, hyah!"… "Well, eat doesn't eat, but I assure you that he bruises them a lot! Look, look!" … CLOC! CLOC! CLOC! "Man! Calm down! We're gonna hunt the "Primavero"! I know the guy's hideout, Boss… It's right here, on turning the corner… There it is!"… "You know the guy. What kind of guy is it? That "Primavero" fella"… "Psche! A fella like you and me…"… "That for real? Then I'm gonna beat 'em myself! Heh, heh! Let's go!"… F gets in through the window and spots a gigantic foe! BAF! PATAPAF! CLOC! CRACK! "G-guess Boss is on a pinch…"… PLAF! "Ah! I see he managed to escape!"… "You moron! You told me it was "a fella like you and me"!"… "Of course, Boss… Like you and me… ONE ATOP THE OTHER!"…"

"Man! Couldn't he have said "giant" instead?" Andy groaned.

"Guess he doesn't know the word." Kage chuckled.

"By the way: is your pal healthy?"

"Huh? Ah! Hikari – kun? Yeah! As healthy as usual."

"Fortunately enough." Andy drily muttered.

"Oh come on! What's with the long face? You're not glad that Saito is healthy?"

"Of course I am. It was a fleeing mood."

"If it's just that…" Solo shrugged.

"Let's continue!"

"… "But, man, Boss… I'm to blame that you didn't get it? I'm not to blame that you're hick! I'll bring 'im down like how David beat Goliath, Boss! With a sling! Aha! The handkerchief will do! He's walking in front of the window! I'm going to hit them in the forehead!" … ZIP! CLOC! "W-why, Boss! I didn't know my handkerchief had a hole!"… "GRMBLF! You'll have the next one IN THE SKULL!"… "Forget about making holes, Boss! Don't be a moth!"… "Ah! The gun! How stupid! A couple shots and done! Get ready to eat lead, "Primavero"!"… It's a guy with an idiot-like face and has some muscle! "Why! Nice thimble! It fits!"… "Devil! Take the finger outta there, you idiot!"… "Like I will!"… "You asked for it! You'll have to poke your nose with the knee!"… CLICK! BANG! The chamber exploded! "Why, Boss! I didn't think that the spring sun made you so sun-burnt! Allow me: we're gonna beat the guy with THE HEAD!"… "Huh?"…"

"I foresee trouble."

"… He digs a hole! "Heh, heh! Now some man-eating crabs! Run out immediately! The house's burning!" … Both stand at the sides of the hole which has been made in front of the door! "What are these yells? Can't I cleanse the coal depot?"… "Primavero" opens a trapdoor beneath F and he plummets into the hole! "OUWA~H! I'll give you "head"! I'll give you crabs! I'll give you…!"… "It's your fault, Boss! You always have to get into everywhere!"… "I'll go with drastic solutions! A bomb and that's it! Heh, heh! No stone will remain on foot! Let's run, run! Ah! Devil! What's going on?"… He steps into a puddle of fresh concrete! "Well, Boss, I covered the hole with concrete. Since you disliked the idea…"… "T-the bomb's about to go ff! And I don't reach to put it off! Maybe… PTUF! There's a granny and Ikada will provide the voice!"… Ikada?"

"_Hi~… Cool guys… _"You dirty guy! Aren't you ashamed of spitting like that on this ball? Cleanse it, you vandal! _Volando_!"… BOOM! "W-why! It'd seem he literally did it…"… "Volando" can mean both "flying" and "ASAP"! And the joke is that the explosion sent him flying!"

"_Thank you_! "I like this plane: it's so stable… Doesn't shudder, doesn't tilt and it doesn't…!"… PLOC! "HELP! HELP ME~! UWA~H!"… "Devil! Boss is falling down at top speed! Gotta do something!"…"

"He hit the plane and sent it spinning out of control, eh?" Kage seemingly guessed.

"No pain no gain." Solo chuckled.

"Lovely." Andy sighed.

"… "Ah! A water-filled barrel! I'll place it below: it'll help cushion the fall! He's here, he's here…!"… BONGG! He somehow bounces off! "What the devil are you doing with my cannon?"… "Cannon? What cannon?"… "The old Visigoth cannon which I was bathing to cleanse, man!"… "B-Boss! You alright? Yeah. I can see that. I've got a bright idea, Boss! I'll place this bear-trap below this window… and I toss a flaming grenade through the other window… When he tries to run off the inferno… CLAP! Trapped like a mouse! You'll see! These grenades cause cool flames!"… And it bounces off a cushioned chair! BOING! CLOPF!And lands on F's neck!"

"I knew it." Andy sighed.

"_Marchando_! WHAM! "UWA~H! I'M BURNIN'! I'M ROASTIN'! I'M INCINERATIN'! OUA~GH!" TCHAC! "OW! OW! O~W!"… "Calm down, Boss, I'll put it out! BFFF!"… M blows into a vessel and it lets out a meager doll of water while F's trapped in the bear-trap! "Come on! Get out! My trap's full of soot!"… "I'll… I'll give you trap… Ow! The navel is popping out through the kidneys!"… "Hey! You two! The "TIA" guys! Here's your safe's contents… It's but rubbish! Unpaid bills, penalty warnings, half of a sardine sandwich, old shoes… Heh! The Rockefellers' safe, even!"…"

"And it was in vain because the guy would've ended up giving it back to them… Sheesh. That's what's annoying. All of their suffering tends to end in vain…" Andy sighed.

"Cheer up, man!"

"… "Hey! This gotta be Mr. Super's package!"… "Let's go bring it! It's gotta be some genius invention, no?"… "Or some fantastic formula!"… "Oh no! They're a couple shoes which have triple soil… I said it: with them I can stand above mere mortals, look at people from the top to the bottom and be above to others…"… Heh!"

"Sheesh. Turns out you were right. Maybe you should've tried to bet, Solo." Andy sighed.

"Guess that. But then again gambles are forbidden by our moral and legal code so…" Solo shrugged.

"Wise thinking." Andy muttered with some irony.

"Don't worry about the irony: I won't get annoyed at it."

"… "But, hey… What's with those looks? And those gestures…? And those rabid drools…? Stop! This will bring upon a file! And a money penalty! And one hell of a slap!"… "Full gas, Boss, he's running away!"… "GRFTJX! Take soils! Take! TAKE THIS!"… M put on spiked boots and rode in a cart while F pushed: they chased Mr. Super! And with this… THE END!"

"So it's finally ended, huh?" Andy wasn't impressed.

"We'll tease the title of the next album which will come in some days' time… We've still got to do some previous work… But the title is the following… "Court Witness"!"

"I guess it'll be about protecting a witness." Kage grinned.

"Guess that."

"Hi there, my folk enchanted by Uncle Moran!"

"Superintendent Oda?"

"Yo! Kage –kun. It's been a while. I invited someone and no – one as well, did you know, my chum?"

Superintendent Oda cheerily walked into the pier: Enzan came in, running, and so did Meijin and Obihiro.

"Huh? Where's the berserk crane?" Enzan wondered.

"Where's the knock-out _ramen_ stand?" Meijin wondered.

"Where's Aoyama – sensei~?" Obihiro wondered.

"Huh… Guys…" Punk called out.

"… I see." Blues dully muttered while obviously trying to hold back some swearing of his own.

"Superintendent Oda…!" The 5 of them groaned.

"Uncle Merton's disciples: on the scene!"

"You tricked us! Sir!"

"All's fair in training!"

"THIS is TRAINING? For WHAT?"

"For emergency deployment?"

"Oh come on." Punk groaned.

"How did you know we'd be here?" Kage asked.

"A chum told me."

"Eisei…! The idiot!" Andy groaned.

"Sheesh." Solo grumbled.

"Ijuuin – kun would like to tell you, Kage – kun, that your radiance would illuminate the blackest of nights."

"W-WHAT?" Enzan gasped.

"Obihiro – kun would like to tell you, Andy – kun, that your silver would banish all the werewolves on Earth."

"Oh come on!" Andy groaned.

"Meijin – kun would like to tell you, Solo – kun, that your awesomeness would help you earn Shakira's admiration."

"… I'm SKEPTICAL." He drily replied.

"I never said THAT!" The 3 guys complained.

"The Synchro Triplets! On The Scene Of The Non Crime!"

"It's not funny!" Punk complained.

"The other day I got told about how they kept some grunts off the ship's canteen…"

"Oh yeah?" Andy skeptically asked.

"…by placing a _pink_ curtain and making them think it was the corny guys' canteen!"

"Corny guys' canteen, sure thing…" Solo fumed.

"Where's that damned punk?" Enzan growled.

"I'd like to know that too!" Kage growled next.

"1, 2, 3… Hop." Obihiro whispered.

They all ran off at the same time thus leaving Oda alone: he merely chuckled and sat down on the bench while drawing his Samsung smart-phone from the chest pocket.

"My chum! The summer heat does cut their patience!"

"Told ya, _Danna_~…"

"Heh, heh, heh."

"… Madness!"

The group had managed to get some distance away from the pier and looked they were recovering their breaths.

"Hell. I knew mad things happened but to this extent…" Solo cursed while panting.

"You haven't been here too much: you're lucky. TRULY." Enzan replied while grumbling.

"Yeah… Was about to say the same thing…" Meijin grumbled.

"And it's that rascal's fault: as usual!" Punk fumed.

"Che." Blues grimaced.

"Hmmm? Enzan – sama: unknown number…"

"Maybe it's the "Ghost"."

"It's not encrypted. And it's not a public booth, either. Or an internal line: it's a standard cell-phone number, sir."

"Then who? Oh crap!"

"Enza~n… Found ya~…"

"Ayanokouji! Not you next." He groaned.

"Yeah! I heard it from Sieg – chan! That cha go off with some gal your old man stuck to ya!"

"W-what? Oh come on! Siegfried! You make things up as usual! There's no gal anywhere! The rascal just wanted to fuel your jealousy! And for the last time: I'm not gonna be your boyfriend! Ever!" Enzan growled and slapped his forehead in defeat.

"Oh yeah? Happens that I've got some sources!"

"What sources?"

"Well! Your secretary."

"I don't have any!"

"Huh? Then who was the lady of a while ago?"

"… Ikada – san or Tozukana – san although I suspect the first…" Andy deduced aloud.

"Oh come on. Not Ikada – san."

"_Hi~… Cool guys_!"

Ikada suddenly showed up there while giggling: everyone directed annoyed glares at her but she shrugged her shoulders.

"It's fun to tease lil girls."

"So cha fooled me! I'll have my daddy bring your company down!"

"I don't belong to any! My uncle's a left-winged politician, though."

"What! You totally look like the spoiled type!"

"Spoiled type? Me? Oh no! Tell that to Tesla Magnets if you manage to visit her in prison. Tee, heh, heh."

"Kya~h! I'm feeling disgusted!"

"Oh yes. "Because of her… I now feel… Rabidly! Overwhelmingly! Vehemently disgusted!"…" She quoted.

"Not _Mazokuchou_ Girahimu of _Skyward Sword_ again." Andy groaned.

"Why not, Andy – chan? It's popular! It just came out last November, cha know!" She giggled.

"Ikada – san… When Ms. Secretary gets a hold of this mess then there's going to be CONSEQUENCES…" Kage whispered.

"Indeed there ARE!"

"YIKES!"

"Ikada Bertha! You will come with me: President Hades is very disappointed with your behavior. Maybe some days away will make you think things twice. Golden Star is not here to allow you to organize idiotic displays of ego!"

Ms. Secretary suddenly showed up behind Ikada and brusquely signaled a nearby car: Sandra was sitting on the passenger's seat and it was obvious she'd been the one who'd warned Ms. Secretary of what was going on: Ikada sighed in defeat and hung her head down as she followed Ms. Secretary into the car: both climbed in and the car left.

"About time… They need to be taught there's a red line which you can't cross over!" Kage muttered.

"Yeah. I'm off. I'll try to hunt for clues. See you." Solo fumed.

"Let's go back to work, you guys…" Meijin told the other two.

"See you, Kage. This is but beginning. The real deal is yet to come."

"Yeah, Ijuuin… The real deal is yet to come, alright… Come!"


	8. Chapter 8: Self-search

**Chapter 8: Self-search**

07:07 AM (Moscow Time), Wednesday July the 6th…

"… Good morning. No change?"

"Sadly…"

"I see…"

"I am sorry that I cannot do anything else."

"Do not feel guilty. You and the others have done a lot. I have had to wait about 20 years. A few weeks won't make much difference."

"I know."

"You still see hope for him? We don't know how he'll behave or how he'll be when he gets to awaken."

"If we can protect him from cruelty… If we can shelter him… We might be able to at least form some foundations on which he can support…"

"Yes. That's what we'd talked about some days ago."

"I shall excuse me myself for a few moments. My friend is about to come over and I shall go have some talk with them… Dr. Cossack."

"Go, Serenade. I'll look over Forte."

"Thank you."

Serenade had been watching over Forte, who was floating inside of a transparent cocoon made of golden energy: he had been talking to Dr. Cossack when he noticed something and headed down the main road towards the firewall: he did a gesture with the right hand and a gateway formed so he came out of it to meet Slur.

"Slur. I assume you have news?"

"True, Serenade. Thanks to young Kuroban…"

"Regarding the "ghost", I take it… I did try to figure out their identity years ago too but failed at it…"

"I see. Well. Their name is "XY"…"

"Hmmm… "XY"…"

"How is he faring like?"

"He is still in the limbo."

"Still… Well. 20 years of hatred and grudge shall not be purged so easily and even less after bathing in such a huge amount of "Dark Power"… It could take years, even."

"Yes. Maybe I should have acted earlier but… I thought that Rock Man might help him to see the light yet… He could not. Maybe I was too _naïve_ in that aspect." Serenade sighed.

"It could be."

"Huh? Someone is contacting me… Rock Man? How curious. Good morning, Rock Man. Is something the matter?"

A holographic screen formed to display Saito's face: he looked calm and, from the background, it was clear that he was in his room.

"Eh… Serenade. Sorry for the sudden call but I suddenly thought of something which had been picking me for a while…"

"And that is?"

"Well. You do remember the final battle with the Super Cybeast Greizer, right? You were there and managed to convince Forte to yield to us an accumulation of abilities he'd absorbed and that helped us blow up the core of the Super Cybeast…"

"Yes, but of course."

"Now… I split from "Full Synchro" to safe-keep Netto – kun and the last thing I remember is the core blowing up and the shockwave hitting me: did you, back then, shield me or transport me away?"

"Frankly… No. I thought you would be able to escape in time: and given how I did not have a body then…"

"Hum. So like I thought…"

"You spent a year repairing yourself before being able to reunite with your Operator, right?"

"Yeah. That's what I'd thought until now and I hadn't given it much of a thought… Something similar did happen after we beat the Dream Virus: I plummeted into the Reverse Internet and entered a self-repair state for some days… But this time… It was different. I mean, my body could've been greatly damaged, yeah. I've been running some simulations and I estimate that, in the worst-case scenario, I'd take at least 3 months to completely auto-repair myself… 3 months. Not a year. The numbers don't match. And an intensive search of my own logs yielded nothing. There were no logs recorded for one year."

"Maybe you were totally deleted?"

"If I'd been totally deleted someone would have to rebuild me. And there should be some trace of it on my logs." He mumbled.

"And what if they erased them on purpose?"

"Wha? Who would…? Some foreign party…?"

"Maybe someone picked an interest in you and wanted to study you so they rebuilt you but kept you unconscious." Serenade offered.

"Sounds possible… You never know what those guys might come up with, anyway… Seeing how they're so desperate to try to take control of the Golden Star "nodes" or try to steal access codes…" Saito muttered with some annoyance.

"I am sorry I was not of help."

"Oh. Don't mind it, Serenade. It was a random idea but I suspected it didn't have much validity to it." He shrugged.

"OI~! NETTO~! COME OUT IF YOU'RE A MAN!"

"What now, Dekao." Netto annoyingly replied from the balcony.

"GIMME MY MEIRU – CHAN BACK!"

"Sheesh. You idiot. Meiru doesn't belong to anyone! She's a person, not a thing!"

"Ahem, ahem!" Meiru complained from the street.

"Yikes!"

"Maybe it'll be better if I talk to your mom."

"E~H!"

"Do it, Meiru – chan, do it." Hikawa muttered aloud close by.

"Tooru! You rascal!"

"Come!"

"UA~H! MEIRU – CHA~N! DON'T PULL MY RIGHT EA~R!"

"Shut up and walk if you're a man. Ookarada!"

"UWA~H!"

"… Sorry for the scandal. The town goes mad every twice or thrice: if you thought V-B-N's M&F was maddening enough reality can also be incredibly maddening." He annoyingly muttered.

"I see." He smiled.

"I do not see the fun on it."Slur dully told Serenade.

"You are too cold from time to time, Slur. While I agree that sometimes it is better to be dispassionate about things… You should try to prove that you are not a machine."

"I try, from time to time. But, lately… Battling is the only thing which "warms me up", so as to say." She shrugged.

"Eh… I'm in the way, I think, so… I'll be excusing myself."

"Serenade! Quick! Forte seems to be awakening!"

"What!" Everyone gasped.

"Let us go! Now!" Serenade commanded.

"Eh… Just in case… I better shut down the channel. Let's talk another day, Serenade… I apologize for the bother, Slur – sama."

"You are not obliged to show respect to me, Rock Man. You are not a member of Golden Star." Slur reminded him.

"Well… But you are powerful and…"

"Let us discuss it another day."

"Ah! True, true. Good – bye."

Saito shut down his screen and both Navis rushed in: Slur remained at some distance while Serenade headed for the spot of the cocoon: Forte could be seen stirring and slowly moving his hands and feet as if waking up: he was mumbling something too but no clear words could be made out of it.

"He suddenly began to stir." Dr. Cossack told Serenade.

"Maybe he reacted to Rock Man's voice? I thought the firewall was supposed to filter outside noise?"

"Eh… Maybe it's lacking some maintenance. My bad."

"Well. Maybe it actually was of help."

"… D… Doctor… Cossack…"

"Forte…!"

"Dr. Cossack…! Are you there…?"

"I'm here, Forte. Nothing will take you away from me anymore…"

"W-what I've been doing…? I feel like my body was taken over by a stranger for a long time… I fell into the "Dark"… And I felt myself became "null"… But now I'm climbing out of that pit…"

"Yes. You're climbing out of it… And you'll get your body back… And we'll able to live together…"

"What day… is it today?"

"Well… July the 6th, 2012…"

"So it's been… about 20 years…? 20 years of "Dark"… Who saved me from vanishing forever…?"

"Serenade here… I don't know if you remember meeting him." Dr. Cossack told him.

"Huh… Serenade…? No… The last thing I can remember is the chaos that ensued that night on the Science Labs… Those Navis attacking me and claiming that they'd hunt me forever despite Proto being the source of the malfunctions… I felt like I shattered into countless pieces and something rose from the depths to swallow me… Everything after that is pure blackness and I almost never was conscious of myself…" He slowly muttered.

"I guess you developed a split personality as a result of the shock and your already frail mental and emotional state…" Serenade guessed.

"Can I open my eyes…? Can I see you, Dr. Cossack…?"

"Of course. Forte. You needn't even ask. You're free. Free to think, to decide, to act…"

Forte slowly opened his eyes: although his irises kept on being red they displayed calm and peace instead of that lust and hatred he'd had until recently: he then began to look at his hands and body and sighed when he saw his chest scar.

"Can't we erase this?"

"Of course we can."

Serenade extended his right hand forward and some golden energy formed around Forte's body before the wound healed: he slowly got to his feet and looked around.

"This system feels different from those I remember."

"Of course. It's been 20 years. Computers have advanced leaps and bounds and so have other technologies."

"It's like I was in a coma for 20 years, even…"

"But you're back with me, Forte… And no one will be able to harm you anymore. I'll keep you safe here."

"Huh… So you're Serenade?" Forte looked at him.

"Yes."

"Eh… Thanks, I guess…"

"Do not mind it. I did what was best for everyone."

"A while ago I heard someone's voice, and, for some reason… It felt like it motivated me to get out of the pit… To rise and live… Who was it?"

"Well… A Navi named Rock Man… Your "other self" had several clashes with him and they ended up developing a rival-like relation between the two of them… He was one of the few who believed that you could still be helped… And one of his friends did contribute to it…"

"I see… What became of Proto, anyway?"

"We managed to subdue it but the Internet had to be rebuilt from scratch and new safety measures implemented… Some years ago a band of Navis stole the core of it and infused it with "Dark Power" to create a space where Net Navis would be materialized in the real world… It was used both to revive you after being deleted and also to open a doorway to another Cyber World, the "Dark Cyber World"…"

"And after that it was destroyed, I take it?"

"Yes. Totally destroyed. By the way… I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine… Slur."

"… Good morning."

Slur hovered in and drily greeted Forte as if she didn't feel like using another word: Serenade directed a slightly annoyed glance at her but she seemed to ignore it.

"Excuse us for a minute."

Serenade signaled for Slur to follow him and she did follow him: they warped to another section of the Cyber World.

"What is the matter, Slur?"

"I do not know. I guess my "enmity" towards him is not totally gone yet despite your revival."

"That shall not do! Slur!" He scolded.

"I know."

"It is not like you have had to bear with it for 20 years, is it?"

"That is true… Yet…"

"Are you not the one who said that grudge does not lead to anywhere but to further grudge? Prove that you are not a machine devoid of emotions, Slur… It is for your sake." Serenade whispered.

"Alright. If you insist so much."

"You can too stubborn for your own good from time to time as well but I shall not start a discussion over that."

"Fine."

They returned to the main area where Forte was talking about something with Dr. Cossack.

"So Net Navis can exist in the real world already… And some can fuse with their Operators, you say?"

"Yes. It's named "Cross Fusion". Slur and her companions invented it and use it from time to time. See. There they come."

"So how does it work like?" Forte asked Slur.

"It depends on a value named "Synchronism"… Like "Full Synchro", only Operators whose teamwork with the Navi is high can execute it… Both parties must act in accordance and be synchronized… The concept for "Cross Fusion" is that the Navi enters the real world by "borrowing" their Operator's body…"

"Borrowing the body…"

"Maybe it would be best if I showed you some test footage which we recorded a couple years ago during one of the early tests…"

Slur lifted her right arm and formed a holographic screen displaying a room which had a box-like construct in the middle of it.

This box was made of glass panels and steel frames with a width of about two meters per each side and a height of about two meters as well: four devices which were blue cylinders with circuitry boards placed inside of them and surrounded by bluish glass coupled with two white caps at the end had been set vertically and in a cluster atop the box with four wires travelling across the height of the box until they reached a small box from where eight wires emerged.

Four wires headed into a power supply system built into the far north wall and the other four led to a complex control panel placed three meters in front of the southern end of the box: the room had a side door as well plus fluorescent tubes in the ceiling.

Kage could be seen standing inside of the box wearing a curious bodysuit of some sort colored olive green and filled with what seemed to be white square sensors over its surface: the bodysuit included a helmet and boots and covered all of his skin as well: he'd taken off his sunglasses too and revealed a calm and composed face: he carried the Link PET on his right hand and Andy's hologram stood next to him with a grin.

Kage had a curious Chip on his left hand: it differentiated from a Battle Chip because it had no label and instead had an emerald dome made of some slightly transparent material similar to glass in the center of it surrounded by a black edge: the Golden Star logo had been set at a small scale SE of the dome and the contacts were different: the feeling of it was something else as well.

"That is the core essence of "Cross Fusion", the "Synchro Chip"…"

"Huh… "Synchro Chip"…"

"Now it begins."

The tubes atop the box hummed and energy began to travel across their circuitry boards: they began to shine as a mass of rainbow-colored energy formed inside of the box and encompassed its whole volume: the colors were constantly shifting.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Kage inserted the "Synchro Chip" and Andy's hologram vanished just as the PET turned into a small white sphere from which energy seams emerged and expanded: Kage expanded his legs and arms while closing his eyes as if letting instinct guide them.

"Whoa!"

The light dimmed to reveal how Kage had indeed achieved a "fusion" with Andy.

This fusion, or, rather "Cross Fusion", had Andy's bodysuit over his normal clothes but with some design differences: the plating over his shoulders had a more pyramid-like form and was aiming towards the NW and NE, respectively.

The helmet's design was different as well: a silver-colored fin-shape piece formed at the sides, emerging from the ear pads' upper edge and extended until the end of the helmet: an arch was drawn over it and the space inside of it had a deeper tonality of silver.

A complicated drawing was imprinted within the forehead and the helmet's front now extended until the start of the nose

His hair now flowed out in a more natural manner from behind it.

A bronze-colored border formed around it and a straight line travelled towards the emblem to form a curve surrounding the lower half of it: the curve ended with a small 'spike' drawing pointing downwards.

His forearm design included a thin separation around the elbow: the two combined section formed a hexagon with a golden-colored jewel set on its center.

The short section set on the rear half of the elbow was colored bronze.

The rest of the forearm was colored slightly brighter.

The bronze borders travelling down the sides of his upper body ended around the hips: two circular bands of a bronze color were drawn over them with a small separation between them.

His boots' design was based upon that of his forearms: the soil was painted black and separated from the rest of the foot by a thin bronze-colored line.

The jetpack design had changed a bit, too, and it now included bright silver pieces connecting the upper right and left edges with the body: a curved golden line was drawn half-way across it: the rest of the backpack looked identical to Andy's usual form.

"Wow. So they did fuse…"

"In "Cross Fusion"… If Navi and Operator lose their coordination… The fusion breaks down… Attacks which hit the chest emblem will immediately shatter it because it will physically damage the "Synchro Chip"… And a state of body fatigue will cause its reversion as well… These are the flaws it has: it is far from being a perfect system but then again it was not intended to be to begin with. In truth… Only 2 members can achieve "Cross Fusion"… The others have not shown much interest." Slur detailed with a shrug.

"I see…"

"There is a similar-looking technology used by another party which we believe was inspired by ours… They name it "Denpa – Henkan" and it works similar yet the Operator gains Navi-like qualities such as freely warping between both worlds… But there is no actual Navi: it is armor, a bodysuit, which is materialized."

"Whoa. Tech has sure made leaps and bounds."

"It's like I was telling you: we began with those bulky cell-phones and now we have them in all sizes! They can access the Internet as well and geo-location systems allow us to know from where they're posting messages: the app stores grow with every passing day."

"I'll need some time to get up-to-date."

"Don't worry about that, Forte. We've got all the time in the world."

"Wasn't that a song in one of those films you liked to see?"

"James Bond? Heh, heh. Yes, it was. They were humorous."

"Well. I think that I shall be returning. I have my obligations to attend to so… We shall meet again."

"And please think about what I told you."

"Fine."

Slur hovered away and left the area while Forte frowned and seemed to be picked by something.

"Is something the matter, Forte?"

"Who designed her?"

"She claims that she formed on her own out of experimental data clusters of some laboratory…" Serenade shrugged.

"Whoa. That's a first."

"I was designed by a programmer named Urakawa who wanted someone who could try to monitor the Reverse Internet…"

"Speaking of which… I seem to remember rumors of it back on my time but… It actually exists?"

"It does. It used to be a hangout for criminals and nefarious lot given its shady nature and its wilderness… Yet many things of it are still a mystery even 20 years before…"

"How odd. Why?"

"Nobody seems to know the prime source of it. The whole thing spawned from the night to the day in a way which still baffles most researchers: the most accepted hypothesis is that a cluster of hackers wanted to take profit of "holes" in the Internet layout created by cancelled projects…"

"And they built that area, you mean to say?"

"Yes. Some of them seemed to be fond of the myths of super-advanced extinct civilizations…"

"Why's that?"

"There was a huge pyramid filled with high-level Viruses… Rock Man was the only who got to get inside and found a Net Navi named Pharaoh Man inside… And he claimed that no – one had come into the room ever since 20,000 years ago."

"How ridiculous. Sounds like some magic _manga_ thing." He rolled his eyes and sounded annoyed at it.

"I know. But the most picking part was that there was a sleeping power there which Rock Man managed to awake… Something above "Full Synchro"… "Perfect Synchro"… "Saito Style"… Its power was so destructive that the pyramid was blown up with Pharaoh Man and 4 warriors inside: and it caused a personality shift in Rock Man too… While it also seemed to overload the Operator's consciousness too… After it proved to be ineffective against "Dark Power"… Serenade granted him another ability to replace it…" Dr. Cossack explained.

"How odd. Why would some hackers bother to place it there?" Forte rubbed his chin.

"Maybe they were testing a new weapon and wanted live data so Rock Man unconsciously became their guinea-pig… They could've been hackers employed by a foreign government too."

"I am back. I decided to give Slur another reminder and allow you two to have some time on your own too…" Serenade returned.

"What's her problem?"

"She can be too machine-like from time to time. I insist that she should try to show more emotions in front of her allies but she insists that being dull and cold keeps them in line… Sheesh. What a stubborn child."

"Guess it mustn't be easy to control so many Navis in that org…"

"Guess it is but at least when she's not there…"

"So? Is there something going in the Cyber World as of late?"

"Navis deleted in the past have been revived by a mysterious "ghost" named "XY" and go by the name of "Jet Black Phoenix"… They have gained some new tactics and abilities but they all have been repelled over these last few days… They use a system to produce "signal noise" and cover their retreat…" Dr. Cossack explained.

"Signal noise, huh… Not good for any Navi's systems… It disrupts their whole sensory network and leaves you dizzy. I had more than one encounter with signal noise when I was testing system security there and there…"

"True. By the way… You've been very quiet, Serenade… Is something bothering you?"

"Huh? Ah. No. It is nothing. I was reflecting."

"Ah. If it's just that…"

"I think I will go investigate something. I will be back here soon enough so… Later."

"Huh… Later."

Serenade walked out of the system while Dr. Cossack inputted some commands over the computer: a program in the form of a white glowing sphere formed in front of Forte.

"This has been lent to me by the Science Labs. It's a program which contains "materialization factors" and will allow you to freely materialize in the real world without the need of a special "Dimensional Area" to do so: try it out, Forte."

"Whoa! Is it alright?"

"Of course. This is my place. There's just you and me." Dr. Cossack encouraged.

"Alright."

Forte installed it and his body glowed before he was warped into the real world into Dr. Cossack's living room which had a shut off fireplace, a couple of red armchairs, a table between them, and a shut off LCD TV close by: there also was a wooden bookcase with several books placed on it: Dr. Cossack's laptop was placed atop the table.

"Whoa. So this is the real world…"

"Indeed."

"It feels… alien."

"Of course it does. The Cyber World is a made-up world. The real world isn't it. It doesn't go by logic like the Cyber World does." Dr. Cossack explained.

Forte tried to touch a chair and quickly became fascinated with the new sensation: he looked around again.

"Wow. After this initial touch I feel like all of my perceptions are outdated and I need to rebuild them."

"No wonder."

Forte sat on the free armchair and whistled in surprise at the sensations it brought along: he looked around with renewed surprise.

"Whoa. And whoa."

"Heh, heh, heh. Well. Guess I'll have to start teaching you on how to use things in the real world."

"Guess that, Dr. Cossack… By the way… What became of that researcher who lead the Proto Project and who tried to back you?"

"Ah! Hikari Tadashi… He died several years ago: a pity… But his son Yuuichirou has continued his work and greatly contributed to improving Navis and PETs… And Tadashi's grandson, Netto – kun, is the Operator of Rock Man… The Navi we mentioned before…"

"Wow. I'm picked. I'd like to meet that "Rock Man" one day… Maybe he can give me some ideas of what to do from now on…"

10:40 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Somehow we escaped the madness."

"True, Enzan – sama."

"Gotta agree with you guys on that…"

"Who's there?"

"Me. Burai."

"Ah. Did you find something?"

"A Heel Navi colored gray who spoke like an old man…"

"I was chasing them."

"The guy pulled the phoenix thing on me and fled. I don't think it's worth your time to try to chase them anymore."

"Guess that."

"You wouldn't mind sparing some time to train with me? I feel somewhat rusted. And I was hoping to see the famed Muramasa Blade in action: I always got picked by it."

"Why not… What do you say, Enzan – sama?"

"We both end up winning."

"Roger."

Blues had been jumping across the Reverse Internet when someone landed from another level: it turned out that it was Solo's "Denpa – Henkan" form, Burai.

Burai had a helmet which had been painted using a black and red color-scheme: it was a partial guard given how it revealed his hair in its entirety: the hair which was flying straight upwards in a wild and chaotic manner.

The helmet too bore a pair of transparent purple shapes and having the shape of the Alphabet letter "X" which seemed to be layered across his helmet.

His throat was guarded by a silver neck-guard, somewhat similar to a gorget: his ear-pads were small greenish domes.

He wore a smooth and plain black cat suit which began at his jaw line with his suit's emblem colored in a crimson red color: the catsuit ran uninterrupted along each limb until reaching the elbows and knees.

Starting from those spots, and, with the exception of his right arm, they were further covered in solid-looking black armor: and this black armor was further alloyed with a red slotted coil with a single red spine forming around the left wrist plus the feet ankles.

He also bore two knobbed spaulders made of what seemingly was the same material over his shoulders to protect them.

His right arm, by comparison, bore a thick black bracelet circling around the wrist: it turned his right fist and forearm into a mass of burning purple flames the brightness of which was constantly shifting.

He was holding a sword on his right hand which had a reddish hilt with yellowish ends: the blade had an indentation running across most of its height which began as a thin cone-like form, spread into a circle having a greenish dot in the middle, and ended close to the edge: the blade was shaped like a trapeze with diagonal sides and had some grade of thickness to it unlike _katana_ or normal swords.

"Let's go!"

"Alright! Neo Variable Sword! Sonic Boom!"

"Hrah!"

Blues shot a Sonic Boom but Burai jumped into the air and landed back to hit the floor with the blade, forming a T-shaped pattern of purple flames one of which hit Blues and also generated cracks on the ground: he then quickly swung the sword in the shape of an X with two neat attacks followed by a fast left-to-right swing: he pulled back while Blues growled and placed some distance between them.

"A strong opening… But that won't stop me!"

"Hmpf… That's right…"

"Elemental Sword!"

"Heh! Mu Rejection!"

A blue-colored shield with runes spinning around its edge clockwise formed and got busted by the Elemental Sword but Burai had already leapt into the air and landed on the ground in front of Blues while letting his blade hit the floor: the impact forced Blues to shield himself and he jumped back.

"He used the barrier as a _Kawarimi_… That's a first."

"I've trained in swordsmanship for several years."

"Then I gotta bring out my full power!"

"Of course."

"Muramasa Blade! Your attacks have already overcome the 1500 HP mark so… I can activate its three-pronged mode!"

"Come! I'll taste the flavor of such an excellent blade!"

"Hra~h!"

Blues attacked with the Muramasa Blade and Burai merely crossed his forearms in an "X" shape to partly block it but Blues' attacks were so quick that they seemed to be blurry due to their speed: Burai got three reddish cuts across three spots of his body and he made a grimace as he repressed the exhale of pain and jumped into the air to flip and land some distance away.

"Yeah… It's a genuine blade alright! As expected of Serenade…"

"Did you mention me?"

Serenade gracefully landed close by and looked slightly curious: Burai grinned and seemed to find it funny.

"Oh. No big deal. I was talking about how powerful the Muramasa Blade you made up for Blues is…"

"Ah yes. I did make sure it was strong: else he would not have been able to stand up to the threat."

"Oh well. I think this is enough. I just wanted to have a taste of it: we're both tense and that won't help if we want to have a prolonged training session…"

"Heh, heh, heh! Then it's time for my session! Heavenly Thunderbolt courtesy of Zekrom – sama~!"

"Mugro~h!"

"Mugra~w!"

"Ugrah!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Ya got a hit scored by Gray Thunderbolt – sama~ of Uncle Moriarty's Nephews!"

"Shit. Gray Thunderbolt…!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"

A member of "Shunoros" dropped from another level after some thunderbolts fell on Burai, Blues and Serenade because they weren't expecting them.

Gray Thunderbolt had a largely customized design which deviated from the norm the others followed.

His face's skin color was of a dull olive green – like coloring and a faint black and thin line drawing of an electrical current's spectrum shaped like a triangle formed on the SW and SE corners of his face and climbed past the note until they ended slightly beneath the forehead's helmet edge.

His eyes' irises were blood red in color.

His hair was orange-colored and spread out from behind the helmet in a wild flock manner reaching until the base of his neck.

The helmet's design was peculiar: it had a form seemingly made out of a spheroid's upper half and its main color was gray.

The center of it had a drawing which could be interpreted as an arrow pointing downwards which also had two small triangles popping out of the sides: it seen from above and looking from north to south it could be a cutaway silhouette of a tree as well: a golden-colored plain horn formed on the middle of the drawing and aimed upwards.

The ear-pads had two parts: they began as simple gray metallic disks attached half-way between the upper helmet and the sides of the rest of the helmet.

A dome-shaped formation sprouted from there and had a small hole cut atop it.

The sides of the helmet included two slightly curved triangles colored orange spanning past the lower jaw by a few centimeters.

His neck was protected by circular gray bands stacked one atop the other with a total of three plus a wider circle at the base of the neck.

Regarding the chest armor, it could be described as simplistic: the color of choice was gray again and the only noticeable things on it were two cavities cut on the center of it shaped after diamonds: they were red on the inside and there was a very thin black line cutting through them spanning half-way across the chest.

His arms were covered by a peculiar golden armor which seemed to reinforce their strength: each shoulder had a soup bowl – like shape along with the cover set over it: a golden horn spread from the center of the cover.

The armor then continued with a slight division drawn half-way the arm located between the shoulder and the elbow: the elbow segment happened to have a circular piece from which a curved fin aiming towards the shoulder emerged: this elbow armor could be divided in four different segments: the first one was a little piece of golden armor in the form of a circle's lower half.

It was continued by a set of three half-circular metallic bands spreading downwards until the start of the wrist.

A screw bolt's head was set half-way between the lower and upper halves of the elbow armor: a black cross was drawn on it (or rather the grooves where a screw driver would be set at) and a straight black line travelled forward from the eastern edge until the wrist.

The last part of the complicated elbow armor included the aforementioned fin.

A small segment of golden armor covered the little space between the elbow and the wrist.

The wrist and part of the hand were encompassed by one featureless metallic black circle from which his usual five fingers (covered in golden "skin") came out.

The body below the chest armor was rather plain: a central vertical stripe which contained the helmet's pattern towards the end as it reached the waist spot: it was painted gray expect on the outer edges where the color switched to purple and ran down the sides of the body including the inner surface of the legs: the outer surface was colored gray too.

His peculiar boots began just at the knee's height and had a customized design which looked like some attempt at being "futuristic" for some reason or another: their color was gray.

The reason why his boots looked peculiar was because they had a descending triangle-shaped ramp running until the ankles and with three golden buttons set in a vertical manner one atop the other near the end of the piece.

The ankles' armor was built in the manner of three purple trapezes set one over the other: the soil of the boots was also designed to have a trapeze form and painted gray.

There was something which looked a recent addition, though, and that was an emblem on the forehead: gray-colored spheroid of energy with thunderbolts emerging from it and aiming for all eight cardinal directions: its rim was painted in a black color as well.

"Heh, heh, heh. _Aibou_ beat me this season…"

"You have stained something noble."

"E~H! Serenade, ain't it! I thought it was just Blues and Burai!" He gasped when he spotted Serenade.

"Indeed. You shall regret that affront. Hah!"

Serenade extended his right hand forward and formed some greenish spheres of energy which began to bombard Gray Thunderbolt but he vanished in a cloud of smoke only to replaced by a statue of the PKMN "Zekrom": Gray Thunderbolt appeared higher in the air behind Serenade but then Burai jumped towards him and delivered 6 slashes in a row followed by an attack from Blues using the Muramasa Blade: Gray Thunderbolt chuckled and his forearms frizzled with purple electricity which he shot at Blues and Burai: they groaned from the impact while he floated in the air.

"Pain Thunder! A Muramasa equivalent!"

"How crafty!" Burai growled.

"Che." Blues grumbled.

"Hmpf." Serenade was unimpressed.

"Let's go for more! Rocket Knuckles!"

He formed some copies of his forearms with built-in rockets and which began to chase Burai and Blues and Serenade by warping around: they began to repel them while Gray Thunderbolt drew two Elec Swords: he began to jump around while hitting the fighters: he was chuckling under his breath and was obviously getting cocky: Blues suddenly formed a ghostly copy of the Muramasa Blade which slashed Gray Thunderbolt's back thrice before he and Burai delivered a total of 9 combined attacks which obviously wiped off all of his HP: Gray Thunderbolt groaned and collapsed into the ground.

"Shit. I forgot about the twin thing once you go over the 3000 HP of damage…! And here I thought my surprise attack worked but you were fooling me…! These punks…!" He groaned.

"You dishonor your leader."

"Sheesh! _Aibou_ and the guy's old-fashioned _Sengoku_ pride…!" Gray Thunderbolt grumbled.

"He is a Prince. He must protect his dignity."

"Gray! You moron! I leave you alone for a while and you do this? Aren't you adult enough to behave?" Kuroban growled over the radio.

"Sheesh! I wanted to try to catch them with the guards lowered!" He tried to argue.

"Like I've done that. I didn't teach you to do that."

"Sheesh. Ya aren't my _sensei_!"

"I ain't but that's not an excuse for not behaving in a proper manner and not fighting in a fair and square manner! You always need to come up with some cheat or another! I'll leave you grounded in the base too: you and Sieg could do something of profit like cleansing! And putting order to your rooms: they're a mess!" Kuroban grumbled.

"Ya got into my room?" Gray Thunderbolt gasped.

"I thought you had the headphones on and didn't listen to me knocking on the door… What chaos! Books, _manga_, pencils and papers scattered at random with several socks tossed there and there! You should take example of how the others have far more neat rooms!"

"Don't say this in front of the others! Sheesh! I'm going back there and let's talk in person but I'm being humiliated here!"

"You've brought that into yourself and you know it."

"Sheesh!"

Gray Thunderbolt warped out of the spot while Blues stored the Muramasa Blade along with Burai.

"As cheating as usual, huh? _Ani – ue – sama~_…"

"You lowlife. Shut the hell up."

"Sheesh. Blues! No fighting! That's an ORDER!"

"Roger, Enzan – sama…!"

"Blues. You are staining your pride."

"Serenade! Not you too."

"I don't see why you get so annoyed at this."

Legato happened to walk into the area while having a Neo Variable Sword and greeted Blues with a grin but Blues began to grumble and looked annoyed instead.

"Flee, you imposter."

"Imposter? Did I ever try to replace you during these 2 years and something since we first met?"

"I don't give a crap for that. All I know is that you're a damned wannabe and I don't tolerate that."

"Blues… How many times do we need to go over this?" Enzan sighed.

"As many as needed until my point is made clear, Enzan – sama!"

Enzan's PET beeped and another screen formed displaying Netto's face: he looked concerned.

"Oi. Enzan. Did the Hungarian leave?"

"Hungarian? What Hungarian?"

"Huh? I got a call from you saying that there was a suspicious Hungarian roaming around your flat. I was thinking of calling Superintendent Oda so that he could check it out and see if there was the need to help you out but…" Netto explained.

"Eisei."

"Not the rascal again!" He groaned and slapped his forehead out of exasperation.

"As if having to deal with Ooyama's idiocies wasn't enough, right?"

"Sure as Hell. Meiru managed to get the guy's mom to scold the guy and he hasn't dared to come up with the soap opera deal again. She's closed him at home for some days and will have him study Math. About time the guy did something useful. High school won't be easy and unlike what _manga_ might say they'll be stricter with the exams and homework: WAY stricter!" He grumbled.

"Next time use the IP dissecting app." Saito warned off-screen.

"Good point, Saito – niisan… Ah… Man! Sorry for the bother."

"Don't mind it. We're not perfect, you know?"

"You're right on that. Oh well. See you around."

"Oh! By the way! Blues. Enmity won't lead you anywhere." Saito warned off-screen.

"I know." He fumed.

"Just saying. See you."

The call ended and Enzan rolled his eyes while Burai was already annoyed at the whole deal.

"I'll go train somewhere QUIET." He fumed.

He warped out while Blues folded his arms in annoyance: Legato sighed in defeat and so did Serenade along with Enzan.

"Fine. Go cool off somewhere and then we'll TALK." Enzan ordered.

"Roger."

Blues jumped off the edge of the platform and towards a higher one to head for the surface Internet: Legato scratched the back of his helmet with the left hand next while Serenade nodded in disapproval.

"That pride must be Blues' biggest weakness."

"You're right on that." Enzan admitted.

"Man. _Ani – ue – sama_… Cheer up, man!"

10:18 AM (Philippines Time)…

"… Sheesh!"

"So. _Danna_. Welcome to the club."

"What a club! There's just you and me."

"Guess we all pay the consequences of trying to play smart."

"Sure we do! Sheesh! I feel like I've become Mortadelo!"

"How ironic, huh?"

Sieg was using a mop to cleanse a corridor inside of the "Shunoros" base which had all of the room doors plus a couple large doors with iron rings on them and a shutter opening with rock stairs heading down to ground level: there was another guy there who surely was Gray Thunderbolt's human ID, Eisei Aaron.

Eisei's approximate age was 16 or 17: his face had a smooth form to it yet his eyes' irises were blood red and his nose had a slightly sharp form.

His green hair was totally messy and grew until the base of the neck while having a purple-colored plastic piece forming an arch starting over the ears and extending backwards but which didn't contribute to keep the shape but rather seemed to be an accessory to appeal as "cool" and fashionable.

His clothing was something rather new and innovative too and seemed to be self-made.

To begin with: his shirt's color was a shade of bright gray and it had a partial vest integrated with it colored using two shades of purple, one brighter and one less bright.

The brighter bands of purple ran across the sleeves starting atop the shoulders and extended until the wrists while also drawing an external edge for the partial torso-only vest.

This vest started at the neck and shoulders but only reached until a third across the height of the upper body.

Seen from the front it had a form reminiscent of the Alphabet character "U" turned downwards by 180 degrees.

His vest also was innovative in the fact that it included two small yellow squares with what could plastic clips colored orange/red attached to their lower end from below.

His pants were plain and didn't stand out too much save for their purplish coloring and the gray knee protections.

He wore fingerless grayish gloves over his hands as well.

The sneakers, however, were designed to incorporated gray soils into them while the main body was white in color: their design was plain and had no Velcro straps or strings plus a thin yellow stripe running across it climbing upwards as seen from the front edge to then climb downwards.

He lastly carried his silver and purple-colored Link PET with Gray Thunderbolt's drawing on it.

He was fuming as he was using the broom to cleanse dust built up in front of one of the doors.

"Cheer up! Listen to this!"

Sieg turned on his PET and a recording began to play out.

"… "Well, we are bringing him a surprise. If we treat him well, he may happily blurt out everything."… "But, do you really think that'll be enough?"… "Yeah. Half-kill is enough for now."…"

"That's… Episode 557 of Conan, right? It dates some years back already by now… "A Dangerous Pair of Two", I think it was…" Eisei recalled.

"… "It's a bit too early, isn't it? They need to wait some… For my overkill!"… "I can't wait to meet them."… "Yeah. They'll cry for joy after I show them my half-kill. Mine isn't your average half-kill, you know."…"

"Hmpf… Yeah… I'd like to see those weak puny rascals scream in agony when zapped with several 1000s of DC Volts…"

"That's the spirit, _Danna_!"

"Yeah… You're right…"

"And the red wall was redder than a Communist!"

"Mwah, hah, hah. Now that's a good one."

"Meh! It's a matter of using the brains, _Danna_…"

"I know! On Friday… Let's show the others the show."

"Oho. It'll be fun."

"Sure thing. I'll ready the subtitles… And we should tell those fellows they're like bamboo in the snow… Odd fellas!" Eisei snickered.

"Now that's a clever one! Heh, heh, heh. Let's bring out Koumei's Choina mottoes and try to "illustrate" 'em."

"By the way! You wouldn't mind going to Urateido's place one of these days, right?" Eisei whispered.

"Nope! I needed some thrill. That Yanada fella isn't too bad for a neophyte, either."

"Neophyte alright! Your precious _ani-ue-sama_ beat 'im with the brains and the cold blood… Cold blood borrowed from Freeze Man!" Eisei chuckled next.

"And let's say that Kazebun provides the wind! "As swift as the wind", like in the _Fuurinkazan_! Netsuhonoo is the _"ka"_, Kazebun the "_fuu"_, Kisei the "_ri_" and… aw man! We're missing a "ground" guy! What do we do now, man?" Sieg gasped.

"Hmmm… Maybe you could do it? Wolves live in the mountains and assault sheep, right?" Eisei suggested.

"Oh yeah! Then I'm the "_zan_"! Heh, heh, heh."

"And let's tell them this: "the item in hand might not be within one's grasp"… So that means that… Even if they have the key to victory in their hands' grasp that won't guarantee them an absolute victory!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Guess Dully – chan will says they're rubbish."

"Knowing the bloke…" Eisei chuckled.

"… "Give advice and good guidance, then halt after such is of no avail… Do not disgrace yourself for it."… Heh! Blues should listen to this when Legato tries to cheer the guy up!"

"Totally!"

"… "Attempting to meet a worthy man without taking the proper course… Is as if inviting him to come yet barring the gate against him."… Maybe it should be told to that Colonel jerk? If he actually needs help from Thunder Man he should go visit him himself instead of using Tomahawk Man as a proxy or lazily calling him over. Heh, heh." Sieg explained.

"Heh! That Koumei fellow's words are fun!"

"Sure are! We should treat those guys to a tour of the Death Mansion ruled by Death Gold, head of Cypher!"

"Oho. Good old Death Gold and the XD001! The nostalgia… My _aniki_ and I used to take turns playing the game, yeah."

"You look like you're in a good mood despite the punishment." Urateido joined them coming out of his room.

"Meh! We found something to make fun of so…" Sieg shrugged.

"… "The Late Dully – chan"!"

"Truly." Urateido laughed.

"Lower it!" Kuroban growled from a speaker in the ceiling.

"Y-yikes!" They all gasped.

"I'm busy repairing the "High One" robot and I hear your loud voices echoing in the shaft! So lower it! My annoyance is very sour by now: do you wish to have a taste of it?"

They all gulped and remained silent for some minutes: Kuroban fumed and shut off the speakers.

"G-guess we should lower the voice." Eisei whispered.

"Man. What a day."

"Anyway… "The late Dully – chan scares away the living "Ghost"!"…"

They all chuckled under their breaths at the joke.

"Dully – chan's _ghost_ scares a _living ghost_!" Urateido laughed.

"We should patent it, man. Dully – chan will explode like TNT!" Eisei laughed next.

"Truly." Sieg admitted.

"Play it again! I wanna hear the morale!" Eisei told Sieg.

"… "People can have a great influence and intimidate the living, even after death"…!" The PET narrated.

The group chuckled under their breaths once again.

"Let's play "Empty Fort Strategy" one day too and lure Dully – chan over for some group beating!" Eisei suggested.

"Oho. Terrific." The other two chuckled.

"Dully – chan _dulls_ everyone around the guy's bulky body! The guy's a busybody! Always keeping the body _busy_!" Eisei made a pun.

"How lame." Ernst (who happened to come up the stairs and be heading to his room) complained with some annoyance.

The 3 of them remained silent: Ernst directed a dull and uninterested glare at them before shutting his room's door.

"Phew. Let's go back to work before Ernst gets annoyed." Eisei sighed.

"Y-yeah. I'll be going to the town. I'll bring some supplies."

"I'm gonna go mop the west end…" Sieg sighed.

"Guess I gotta broom the east end, then…"

"Man. Our luck has run out, huh?"

The 3 of them sighed in defeat: they always overdid it with their jokes…


	9. Chapter 9: Deepening mystery

**Chapter 9: Deepening mystery**

08:37 AM (Japan Time), Friday July the 8th…

"… Fua~h… Another day begins…"

"Yo! Golden Leo! News, news!"

"What now, Napalm Man… It better be important."

"… "Mochi drawn on the ground… cannot be consumed"… Well?"

"Sheesh. It's gotta be Sieg's rip-offs!"

"Heh, heh, heh! _Meitantei _Leonhart!"

"Sheesh."

Leon woke up inside of his room's bed (wearing navy blue pajamas) and stretched yet he was greeted by a joke Napalm Man had received: Leon sighed in annoyance.

"They say a wise fella said it!"

"Sounds like it but when Sieg gets his hands on it then it gets stained and dirtied."

"Guess that! The Golden Castle is waiting for ya!"

"Sheesh. Originally Siegfried was the one who was gonna use it but he got beaten on the Turn when he'd finally managed to Draw it."

"By the noble-destroying "Blue – Eyes"! Nyah, hah, hah!"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure."

He climbed off the bed and opened a drawer of the cupboard to pick a pair of black boxers and white socks before he headed for the adjacent bathroom.

"Burner Man says you can't beat his shooting range record."

"What! Oh yeah! I'll show it to my _pal_! _Bring it on_!"

Napalm Man rushed off the PC and Leon sighed in relief.

"Luckily he's predictable in that aspect. I know I wanted him to be hyper-active and cherry and all but I think I overdid it."

He stepped into the bathroom and shut the door from the inside: he undressed and stepped into the shower: he turned on the faucets and closed his eyes as he felt the hot water bathing him.

"A year, huh…? Feels like it was yesterday…"

_My mother remarried 4 years ago with a man who'd met in a party her gym friends had organized… My father had gone off with another woman and divorced mother… This man had a daughter who was aged 19 back then while I was about to turn 10… But barely some weeks after my 10__th__ birthday… A car accident happened… And both died… My step-sister was given custody of me… And before I could begin 5__th__ of elementary… She suddenly closed me at home and revealed her true face… That of a terrific sadist… She'd arranged it all: the party, the marriage, the accident… Just to get to me… And to turn me into her _dominatrix_ slave… She abused of me each day for the next 3 years… Everyone thought me dead… I had no means of escaping or communicating with the outside world… I only had a TV on my room and a heap of DVDs… But, about one year ago…_

He turned off the shower and began to apply shampoo to his head before turning it on again.

_She forgot to properly lock my room's window! I made up an improvised rope to hang down from the 1__st__ floor into the street using my bed's sheets… And I ran away… I was totally depressed and I didn't see a point to life… If I was about to be sold off for life to a _yaoi_ club… What point was there to living? I was about to drown myself in the port but… Then Miquel – san and Andy – san happened to show up there by pure coincidence… They brought me onboard… And had that Demon arrested… I became free and a member of Golden Star… And thanks to them… I've been able to finally go back to school… At first I was timid but… After some months… I got along with everyone… The 4 – A class students helped me too: Netto – san and Saito – san, Miquel – san's friends… And now I have a proper life free of that tyrant… Yet… It was not without consequence that I didn't lose my sanity during those 3 years…_

He applied body lotion next and washed it over: he shut off the shower and exited to pick his towel and dry his body: he then dressed in the boxers and the socks before heading for the sink.

_Siegfried… Sieg… He's not really my brother. He originally wasn't. I developed a split personality disorder as a result of my shock, my depression and my fear… A part of me wished to be stronger and endure anything I might undergo… And that "part of me" became Sieg… He picked his name out of the _Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters_ episodes I had on DVD since it matched with Leon… Leon was sweet and honest while Sieg was smug, arrogant, and scheming… I was able to keep Sieg's existence a secret from Golden Star at first… Until something happened…_

He picked a comb and combed his hair a bit until it had a decent-looking shape to it: he exited the bathroom and headed back into the room to pick other clothes: light green shorts, a brown leather belt, and a white sleeveless T-shirt.

_We'd made a pact: I'd go out once a week one evening pretending to go the cinema or somewhere like that yet… I let Sieg be the "main" personality and go to a _yaoi_ club to have sex… And there he met Urateido and Eisei… Who got picked and told Prince Kuroban… So they arranged for a way to "split" Sieg off me… An invention named "cyborg body"… A human body genetically engineered with a cybernetic brain… Sieg was transformed into a program and uploaded into that brain… And, for all intents and purposes, he was a split person, another human… And since the "cyborg body" is a highly kept secret… We both agreed to pretend to be twin brothers… And no one questioned that insofar… It was after that that I told _Noir _– san about Sieg but he kept it secret… I know that there are some things which are better off not knowing… This is one of them, I believe… _

"Yo! Leo! Good news! I beat Burner Man's record by 5.15 seconds! I'm a sharpshooter by now!"

"I thought sharpshooter meant sniper, though."

"Well! I'm faster than Lucky Luke, then!"

"Alright. We'll settle it at there."

"… "Lower your weapon, cowboy! It'll be useless when faced with the Dark Prince!"… "In effect!"… "Huh?"… BLOF! "Let's have a closer look to this "Dark Prince" fellow."… From the album _The Cursed Ranch_!"

"How literate of you."

"That irony, man? Hah, hah, hah! Cheer up! It's July, there's not a cloud in sight, and beach time! Go find some chick there!"

"WHO told you that?" He groaned.

"Tozukana!"

"Joanne – san? Sheesh. I'll have to complain AGAIN. I'm fed up with those silly jokes."

"Complain Man dropped by with the 5:55 AM express from Hokkaido!"

"Sheesh."

"Dark Man will beat the Dark Prince!"

"How original of you."

"Yo~! Leo – chan! Ready for a jumpy ride~?" Tozukana called out through the interphone.

"Ahem, ahem!" Ms. Secretary cleared her throat close by.

"Wha! When did ya…?"

"Joanne – san!" _Noir_ complained next.

"Yikes! Boss!"

"Aren't you ashamed of your childish behavior?" _Noir_ annoyingly questioned.

"W-well…"

"Come to my office! We need to talk!"

"I know it! Lily let it out, huh? The Goth traitor!"

"No! Your Navi is not to blame. You are to blame for banging on the door with the rifle like that." Ms. Secretary corrected.

"Please allow me, ma'am."

"Go ahead, Vice President _Noir_. Golden Star's reputation shall not be stained by you or Ikada! Ultimatum!"

"Yikes!"

"This is not a club! This is an organization with serious rules regarding behavior!"

"But the trio…!"

"Don't try to loophole it, Joanne – san! Those 3 translate and voice an existing comic because it has acceptance of the members. But what you do is BULLYING. And we don't tolerate bullies!"

"Tozukana. Use the head." Legato icily ordered next.

"Nyagra~h!"

"Come! Now!"

There was some grumbling under the breath: Leon sighed and rolled his eyes while Napalm Man was chuckling under his breath.

"The madness came by with the 6:66 AM Tokyo – Oosaka _Hikari_!"

"You mean the bullet train." Leon grumbled.

"Heh, heh, heh. Let's rumble the Bel – Mur!"

"How original, truly."

"Nyah, hah, hah, hah!"

Leon merely picked his PET and wallet before coming out of the room (he'd already fixed the bed back in the meanwhile) and into the corridor: he fumed and rolled his eyes.

"The only downside of living here… The madness. Let's hope it doesn't get worse than this."

7:47 AM (Philippines Time)…

"… Hum. Another morning begins… Let's go to the balcony and have some fresh air… Then we'll turn on the armor and go see if the others are still sleeping or already in the mess room…"

Kuroban woke up on his room, which had a bed, a desk, a chair, and a cupboard: there was an adjacent restroom too but the room was very mundane and didn't pretend to be gallant: it also had access to a balcony looking out into the sea.

Today he didn't have his armor on: his hair was black in coloring and kept a neatly combed manner while his eyes' irises were blood red.

He merely wore a couple of black boxers.

"I prefer to sleep like this in summer: it makes me feel less hot. And since we're all men on this base then…"

He sat on the edge of the bed and glanced around in a mistrusting manner before shrugging his shoulders and standing up: he opened the balcony and headed out to see that his room had been carved inside of a mountain which stood in the middle of a solitary island somewhere: there was a small concrete pier down and to the left which extended seawards for 2-3 meters but, apart from that, the beach was untouched.

"Huh? Ah. I see Ernst patrolling the perimeter…"

In effect: Ernst could be seen patrolling the perimeter of the island while having his PET on the right hand looking at the holographic screen which displayed a radar app.

"Good morning, Ernst. As early-riser as usual, I see."

"Ah! Prince, sir. Thank you, sir. Ironically enough it's a routine I had to stick to." He stopped and greeted back.

"Does it haunt you?"

"No. It's mere routine. I never thought much of it."

"Good. By the way: did you make sure to deliver the warnings?"

"Of course, sir. They must be shuddering in fear by now: having that Latvian caught some weeks ago helped a lot also. They've lost the central control and have begun to fight each other for supremacy. Let them kill each other: the weakened survivors will then be picked off by the police and the network will collapse." He explained.

"Good. Nothing happened in your village, I take it?"

"No. Spreading rumors that we were in Panama helped shake off the grunts and the idiots... According to my friend there, some guys from the KGB successor dropped by but he sent them into that blind alley: guess their bosses won't be happy to know that they've wasted money into plane tickets to go off into a blind chase."

"Good, good. Let them discredit themselves. Did you check that the two of them are on their rooms?"

"I did check. It'd seem that they plan on showing everyone a Catalan TV show which picked them… Something about testing the contestants their knowledge of Catalan… If I got it right, that is… It'd seem it's got some humor to it too… And a magician co-stars on it…"

"A magician, eh? Abracadabra, I spawn a dove from my hat!" Kuroban snickered.

"Truly, sir. I'll do another round just in case. I set proximity sensors and designed some shields to impede their jamming."

"Good. Dullahan might try to show up here but the fool should know better not to: my triple-layered "Boundary" will slowly finish the guy off while I remain unscratched." Kuroban looked amused.

"Roger, Prince."

Ernst resumed his walk while Kuroban snapped his right hand's fingers: a spheroid-like object made of circuitry boards covered by a transparent plastic-like material formed in the air: it included two bands colored black and white spanning through it from pole to pole and another band which surely was the Equator: its four corners had pieces of armor colored in red, green, blue and purple colors: it was hovering in the air.

"Heh… My "Ultimate Orb"… The key to my power… Engage! Denpa – Henkan! Kuroban Howsad, On Air!"

The orb began to emit and turned into a spheroid of purple light: it hovered and attached to Kuroban's energy began to build up around his body and surround it.

"Hra~h!"

When the light dimmed, Kuroban had gained his usual armor and the orb had become invisible: he stretched and looked out again into the beach: he suddenly turned around and looked above to see a solitary black crow cackling about 3 meters over the balcony in a small alcove which had formed in the mountain's body.

"That crow…?"

He suddenly leapt upwards and grabbed it with the right hand: he checked it from different angles but the crow merely kept on cackling: Kuroban then gasped.

"I knew it! It's a data imitation! It's a listener device! And the only one who'd bothered to do this is… "XY"! Quick! It's still emitting a signal and it can't receive commands. Let's follow it! Now!"

Kuroban opened the "gateway" and entered the Cyber World: he began to follow a thin stream of black boxes which headed outside of the base's Cyber World through some mean since they suddenly bypassed the firewall altogether: Kuroban rushed over and he got bypassed as well so he looked behind.

"Some kind of invisible warp system… A worm-hole imitation? It allows for data to bypass firewalls… It only makes sense if you can freely switch between both worlds: to plant the other end of the tunnel inside you must enter the Cyber World from the inside… Like how Ernst was breaking into the Sharo Army's Cyber World too… They copied our tactics."

He rushed away and crossed some other "tunnels" before he ended up before the ruins of Pharaoh Man's pyramid in the Reverse Internet: he spotted a hole half-buried beneath some debris.

"Out of the way!"

He aimed the left hand at them and the debris began to float out to then be tossed around the hole: it had a descending ladder built into the southern wall.

"So the pyramid had a basement. And no – one realized!"

He dropped down the hole and entered a neatly carved stone tunnel decorated with Egyptian wall reliefs: he ignored those and headed further in into a round chamber which had 7 golden spheres set drawing an arch and a round metallic circle with 7 glyphs drawn into its frame set on the center of it: the spheres were set floating between two cylindrical pedestals and there were 7 thin energy conduits carved across the floor and which led to the central ring.

The wall had more Egyptian drawings as well and the ceiling contained the drawing of a planet somewhere which had one gigantic central continent filled with grand lakes and having some mountain ranges there and there.

The central ring had a golden energy mass which emitted some radial glow and which also seemed to be some kind of gateway: the data steadily headed into it and Kuroban rushed for it.

"Nice decoration." He muttered with obvious irony.

He rushed into the gateway and a golden glow ensued: the next second he was standing in another round room which had 8 arches colored golden carved into the walls as if they were reliefs: only the southernmost one, the one he'd come in through, was working.

The center of this room had a gigantic golden sphere about 10 meters tall per 10 wide: it was totally smooth and steadily spinning clockwise with two small circles set on the ceiling and floor above and below it which also spun in synchronism with it: the data ended there.

"I see. One of those archways must lead to the turf where "XY" lives at and they must use this point to warp across the world undetected after they use the "phoenix" to blind us… What's with this golden sphere in the center, anyway?"

He tried to come closer to it and touched it but his hand crossed through it: the sphere faded to reveal five silver spheroids some tens of centimeters tall and wide: they suddenly began to glow and some faint ghost-like figures formed around them.

"What!"

These figures turned out to be Pharaoh Man and the 4 Ultimate Warriors which still had the forms of "Style Change" when they'd faced Rock Man some years ago: they all kneeled (save for Pharaoh Man who inclined his body forward) in a sign of respect.

"Master. We have fulfilled our mission. We have been waiting for thy coming and thee recognition of it. The one named Rock Man had something we had been seeking for a long time… Strength which went beyond body and mind… Their potential is limitless… If it is them then they shall carry on our will…" They all announced in unison.

_Ah! I know why they're mistaking me for their "Master"… That and this confirms a lot of the speculation Slur and I had been having regarding some things… She'll be amused, I daresay._

"Go! Without regret!" Kuroban tried to command.

"Thy will!"

Their "ghosts" vanished and the spheroids flew towards one of the arches, which opened, and quickly closed: Kuroban let go of the crow as it self-deleted and sighed.

"So you wanted me to find the crow and find this. Fine. I'll leave it at here for today, "XY"… But you've just confirmed to me and Slur what we'd been suspecting. Let's go back to the base."

Kuroban came out of the hub and the gateway steadily faded behind him as he left the room behind and climbed out: he placed the debris back over it to hide the entrance.

_Let's summon Slur and have a chat. We need to decide what we'll do now that we know this… "XY"! What do you seek to achieve? _

08:58 AM (Philippines Time)…

"… It's begun!"

"Heh, heh, heh. This is gonna be fun."

"Sure thing."

"What's with the hush-hush? Gray."

"Yikes! _Aibou_! It's nothing, man! Just a TV show…"

"That one you kept on bringing up? The Catalan TV show?"

"Sure!"

"Hum. Fine. I'm picked. I'll sit here and have a look."

"It's nothing gross, really! It's just testing the players' level of Catalan: there's plenty of humor too."

"Fine."

Kuroban entered the living room and found the usual trio (Eisei, Sieg and Urateido) sitting in the sofa in front of the TV: he loomed over them from behind and Eisei quickly pointed out they weren't doing anything stupid: he seemed to think about it but then picked a chair and sat down.

"You look annoyed, Prince…" Urateido brought up.

"The "ghost" set a device to get inside info and use it to hack the firewall and build a bypass… To then record all chat in the base…"

"By all the…" Eisei grumbled.

"So I followed the trail but I got to a dead end in the Virus Lab ruins. I half-expected it to begin with so…"

"Well! There are 3 players in the contest. They all compete for a pot of 2000 Z which will go to the NGO the winner has chosen. There are 7 trials to sum up points: the 2 players with the highest score will then jump to the last trial." Eisei tried to break the ice.

"Hum. Let's see. What comes first?"

"… "La paraula mal-dita"… "The wrongly-spoken word"… See, Catalan has a lot of loan words from Spanish… Not unlike how we Japanese have a lot of English loan words… However, there is a Catalan equivalent of that loan word… The announcer says the loan word, the correct word's initial, and the number of letters it has… First who knows it hits the button…"

"Hum. So it tests if they're literate enough…"

"… "Txaleco"… "Vest"… Starts with the "A" letter: 7 letters!" The announcer announced.

"… "Armilla"!" One of the players exclaimed.

"Correct! "Bogavant"… "Lobster"… First letter: "l"… 9 letters!"

"… "Llamàntol"!"…" The 3rd player exclaimed.

"… "Tonelada"… "Ton"… First letter: "t"… 4 letters!"

"… "Tona"!" The 2nd one replied.

"… "Fiambrera"… "Lunchbox"… First letter: "c"… 10 letters!"

"… "Carmanyola"!"

"Let's keep it up! "Risso"… "Curl"… First letter: "r"… 6 letters!"

"… "Rínxol"!"…"

"… "Palillo"! "Toothpick"! First letter: "e"… 11 letters!"

"… "Escuradents"!"

"… "Concejal"! "Councilor"! R! 7 letters!"

"… "Regidor"!"

"Hey. What's the deal?" Ernst asked as he came in.

"It looks like it could be a slightly interesting program."

"Is that so? Well. Let's have a look. If you don't mind, Prince…" Ernst addressed Kuroban.

"Why should I? Do as you like."

Ernst nodded and picked a chair to sit down and watch on.

"… "Ombligo"… "Navel"… M! 5 letters!"

"… "Melic"!"

"… "Llàtig"… "Whip"… F! 4 letters!"

"… "Fuet"!"

"2 more! "Embustero"… "Liar"… M! 8 letters!"

"… "Mentinder"…!"

"1 more! "Assustar"! ... "Scare!"… E! 8 letters!"

"… "Espantar"…!"

"Last! "Alcaparra"! … "Caper"! T! 6 letters!"

"… "Tàpera"…!"

"OK! This is it! So… Player 1: 50 points. Player 2: 30 points. Player 3: 40 points! So let's move onto… "El diccionari il·lustrat"! "The Pictorial Dictionary"! In this test you'll be using the touch-screen over there… Each contestant has to figure 3 words. There'll some photos to guide them and they'll have a pool of letters from which to choose: they will know the length of it too… You've got 60 seconds! 20 points per word! So! Player 1! Let's go!"

"… Eh… Let's see… I've got 2 photos: couple gorillas and some dessert: I'm looking for a 6-letter word… Aha! "Plàtan"! "Banana"!"

"Gorillas like bananas and that's a banana-made dessert…" Sieg grinned.

"… Next… The actor Palomino… And ear swabs… 7 letters… "Orelles"! "Ears"! Gotcha!"

"That Palomino guy sure had huge ears." Eisei chuckled.

"Last… 6 letters... Tuxedo, igloo… "Pingüí"! "Penguin"!" The player exclaimed.

"Bravo! You got the 3 of them! Player 2: your turn!"

"Let's see… A guy and a gal with different hairstyles… 5 letters! "Rasta"!"

"Oho. I see. The Jamaican guy was the hint."

"… A handle of a window and a hand… 6 letters… "Maneta"! "Handle"!"

"Hum. I see." Ernst calmly muttered.

"… What? Adam & Eva… A confessional? 5 letters… "Pecat"! "Sin"!"

"Ah! I see. The original sin. And the confessional where you confess your sins…" Ernst seemingly recalled.

"Good! Player 3! Your turn, my friend!"

"Huh… 8 letters… Tomatoes, a fish, short noodles… Huh… Not like this, no… Eh… Got it! "Fideuada"!"

"You took your time, my friend… Hurry into the next one!"

"I know! Huh… 8 letters… A photo of me and a parakeet colored yellow… "Espanyol"… "Spanish"… Next is…!"

"Oops! Time! Time! Too bad, my friend. Alright! Let's continue! "La doble pregunta"! "The Double Question"!"

"Mind if I join?" Kisei calmly asked.

"Join the club." Kuroban invited.

"Roger, sir."

"… I'll give you a definition for the word you need to find plus a hint: this trial is individual… You need to find 3 words in 60 seconds. If you're stuck at one you can jump forward and leave it for later. 20 points per correct reply so… Let's rock! "One of the greatest of Catalan theater"… "Surats"… "Floats"…"

"… "Flotats"!"

"Correct! You'll hit if you aim properly. "Pale"…" The announcer seemed to chuckle under his breath.

"… "Blanc"! "Target"!"

"… I see. "Blanc" is "white" so…"

"… Morocco city… "Obama's house"…"

"… "Casablanca"…!"

"Hah, hah, hah! I see! Casablanca literally means "House-white" so if you turn it around it becomes "White House"!" Kisei laughed.

"Next! Player 2! What does he study? "Straight"…"

"… "Right"!"

"Right as in law, I take it?" Sieg guessed.

"… Ali Baba asked for it to open! "Eatable seed"…"

"… "Sesame"!"

"Man! That's a classic!" Urateido laughed.

"… Pau is a singer and Carles was a poet… "Coast"…"

"… "Riba"… "River bank"…!"

"It'd seem it's a surname." Eisei admitted.

"Good! Player 3! Ameroupe State! "Fermented"…"

"Eh… "Florida"…!"

"I see. "Florida" means "Moldy"…"

"… Reporter's writing! "Pillar"…"

"… The "column"!"

"Last! They fill churches. "Unexplored"…"

"Hmmm… Any ideas, Ernst? You had a friend who was the vicar's son, right?" Kuroban asked of him.

"I'd say "virgin"… As in Mary the Virgin… Virgin can also mean something which hasn't been explored yet, too…"

"… "Virgin"…!" The player replied.

"Excellent, my friends… Now… "La frase desfeta"… "The unmade sentence"… I'll give you a quote by someone famous broken down into several pieces… You'll use the touch-screen to try to restore it to normal and you've got 45 seconds! 20 points if you get it right! So! Player 1: sit down and let's get you ready. The quote comes from Magician Lari, the ever-annoying fellow who always butts into MY program… One day I'll complain the big fishes, I'll really do…" The last statements seemed to be spoken in an ironic manner.

"So. What's my phrase?"

"Here! Appear, cupboard, disappear, and Rouco… I'd make Varela and him have inside of a… Go!"

"Eh… Hum… This doesn't go first, no… Aha! Quick, quick! "I'd make Rouco Varela disappear and have him appear inside of a cupboard"!"

"As expected of a magician!" Eisei chuckled.

"Good, my friend! Player 2! Yours is a quote of Britney Spears! There the 9 million fantastic are singers God in the world but wanted me be to best one…"

"Huff! What ego! "There are 9 million fantastic singers in the world but God wanted me to be the best one!"…"

"Hmpf… Ego…" Kuroban muttered with some annoyance.

"Excellent! Player 3! Yours is by Will Rogers. Being government is got the humorist working all you've easy of you for a."

"Not this one… Not this other one… Aha! "Being a humorist is easy when you've got all of the government working for you"…!"

"That's a funny one." Sieg chuckled.

"Good, good! We're coming closer! "L'altra definició"! "The other definition"! I'll give you a self-made definition for a word, its first letter and how many letters it has… First one who knows the answer must press the button! 10 points per correct reply! So! Let's get down to business, shall we, my audience?"

"Heh, heh, heh." Urateido looked amused.

"… Holy piece of cloth into which you lean the head and consult before making important decisions… 5 letters! C! Player 2?"

"… "Coixí"! "Cushion"!"

"Holy piece of cloth? Sheesh." Ernst grumbled.

"Now, now. Ernst. You should be tolerant: it's not like they're mocking religion… It's just irony." Kuroban whispered to him.

"Ah! You're right, sir… It's just that…"

"I know, I know. Now calm down and enjoy the show."

"Roger, sir."

"… Period of 40 days which begins with ash and ends with a "monkey"… Q, 8 letters…"

"I know! "Quaresma"! "Lent"!"

"Why the "monkey"?" Sieg asked.

"It's tradition in some European countries to give a chocolate egg as a present… The Godfather or Godmother does it… I guess "Quaresma" is derived from their word for "Forty"… And they name the egg "Mona"…"

"Writing tool which some Ikea visitors carry with them… L, 6 letters…"

"Aha! Easy! "Llapis"! "Pencil"!"

"Tarragona patron which you touch when you play the piano. T, 5 letters."

"This is mine! I'm from Tarragona, y'know! "Tecla"! "Key"!" Player 1 laughed.

"Surface with a lot of inclination, always unsolved… P, 7 letters."

"… "Pendent"! "Slope"!"

"The joke is that it can also mean "Pending"!" Eisei let out.

"I see."

"… Structure from which workers shout stuff like "I'll make you a saliva dress!"… B, 7 letters…"

"… "Bastida"! "Scaffolding"!"

"… What plebeians…" Kuroban muttered with a hint of annoyance.

"… Scarfs for the ankles which Oscar (Player 1) used to like! E, 12 letters!"

"… "Escalfadors"! "Heaters"!"

"There's a scarf named heater for the ankles? Interesting."

"… Container which some keep under the beed for nocturnal emergencies… O, 6 letters."

"Sheesh." Everyone (save the usual trio) complained.

"… "Orinal"… "Potty"!"

"… Person who sings through the radio and chants the lottery winning numbers… L, 7 letters…"

"… "Locutor"… "Speaker"!"

"… Medicine effects and actors in background… S, 10 letters…" The announcer seemed to direct a glance at Player 3.

"… "Secundaris"… "Secondary"!"

"… Bachelor state very common amongst who live in the Vatican! C, 7 letters!"

"… "Celibat"! "Celibacy"!"

"How brilliant." Ernst muttered.

"Now, now." Kuroban reminded him.

"Roger, Prince."

"… Last! Soaking with water and ice in front of you like when you mock the director… E, 9 letters…"

"… "Ensabonar"! "Lather"!"

"Good, my buddies! 2 trials left! "La paraula amagada"! "The hidden word"! We're gonna play with anagrams! I'll give you the altered word and a hint: you must use it to find the original word! 4 words per contestant and 60 seconds! Player 1!"

"I'm always ready."

"… "Talps"… "Moles"… Yours and Joan's ones were dirty…"

"… "Plats"… "Dishes"… "Dirty Dishes"!"

"What's that? A show?" Ernst asked.

"Yeah. Apparently it was very popular."

"… "Mercat"… "Market"… Heat up the Havana!"

"… "Cremat"… "Burnt!"…"

"… "Pirrossa"… One who falls on love does it!"

"… "Sospirar"… "Sigh"…"

"… "Capsòmer"… Absorbing material that may have wings!"

"… "Compresa"! "Sanitary napkin"!"

"Shouldn't he have asked Player 2, the girl?" Kisei wondered.

"Guess they mixed them up."

"Player 2: you're next!"

"Shoot them at me, Oscar!"

"… "Concret"… "Concrete"… You can hear music in live!"

"… "Concert"!"

"… "Tender"… Garlic can be it!"

"… "Tendre"… Sooth!"

"… "Parets"… "Walls"… You make espadrilles and baskets!"

"… "Espart"! "Esparto"!"

"Good, good! Player 3! … "Barda"… "Fence"… Contestants who're not focused do it!"

"… "Badar"! "Daydream"!"

"… "Saquem"… "Sacks"… Girls who rise and water…"

"Eh… "Maques"… "Cute"… Cute girls who rise and water…"

"… "Enutgi"… "Ill mood"… Concern that doesn't ya sleep!"

"… "Neguit"… "Anxiety"!"

"… "Ritidoma"… "Rhytidome"… You know Montilla's one quite well!"

"… Hah! "Imitador"! "Imitator"! I played the guy! And we look alike!"

"Excellent! So! Last trial! At last! "Lletra a lletra"! Sit there in that chair and put on these special glasses which block your sight. You'll have 60 seconds to spell to me the words I'll be giving you. Try to spell as many as possible. Each one is 10 points. Let's begin! "Estiu"! "Summer"!"

"Eh… E-S-T-I-U…"

"… "Claca"! "Claque"!"

"C-L-A-C-A!"

"… "Teatral"! "Theatrical"!"

"T-E-A-T-R-A-L!"

"… "Hèrnia"! "Hernia"!"

"H-È-R-N-I-A!"

"… "Vaqueria"… "Dairy""

"V-A-Q-U-E-R-I-A!"

"… "Dramaturg"… "Playwright"!"

"D-R-A-M-A-T-U-R-G!"

"Come on! Another bit more! "Admissió"! "Admission"!"

"… A-D-M-I-S-S-I-Ó!"

"Time! Time! 7 words! 70 points! Player 2: next!"

"Okay!"

"First one for you: "botó"! "Button"!"

"B-O-T-Ó!"

"… "Punxa"… "Needle"…"

"P-U-N-X-A!"

"Hey. Don't forget the rest of the club." Umisama came in.

"Or me." Kazebun grinned.

"Or the great me." Netsuhonoo laughed.

"Chut!" Kuroban scolded.

The three of them gulped and quietly sat down.

"… "Sonata"…"

"S-O-N-A-T-A!"

"… "Gerro"… "Vase"…"

"… G-E-R-R-O!"

"… "Operació"! "Operation"!"

"O-P-E-R-A-C-I-Ó!"

"… "Dandi"… "Dandy"!"

"… "Festival"…!"

"F-E-S-T-I-V-A-L!"

"… "Europeu"! "European"!"

"E-U-R-O-P-E-U!"

"Good chick. Is she available?" Netshunoo joked to Kazebun.

"Who knows?"

"Ahem, ahem!" Kuroban grumbled.

Both gulped and shut up while Ernst glanced at them over his right shoulder with a dull face.

"… "Pataplaf"… "Smack"…"

"P-A-T-A-P-L-A-F!"

"… "Melodia"… "Melody"…"

"M-E-L-O-D-I-A!"

"… "Avantatge"… "Advantatge"…"

"A-V-A-N-T-A-T-G-E!"

"… "Quincalla"… "Trinkets"…."

"Q-U-I-N-C-A-L-A…!"

"Wrong! You skipped a letter! Start again!"

"Q-U-I…!"

"Time! Time! 11 words! 110 points for you! Not bad! You can go back to the table."

"Thanks. It's your turn, player 3!"

"OK! Let's see if I seal my fate."

"There's still a chance, my friend, there's still a chance… Your first word is "llit", "bed"!"

"L-L-I-T!"

"Next! "Fitxa"! "Chip"!"

"F-I-T-X-A!"

"Easy one! "Papa"!"

"P-A-P-A!"

"… "Esplai"… "Recreational"…"

"E-S-P-L-A-I!"

"… "Radiofònic"… "Radio"…"

"R-A-D-I-O-F-Ò-N-I-C!"

"… "Secall"!"

"S-E-C-A-L-L!"

"… "Calbesa"! "Baldness"!"

"C-A-L-V-E…!"

"You got it wrong! Start again!"

"Sorry! C-A-L-B-E-S-A!"

"… "Humorístic"! "Humorous"!"

"H-U-M-O-R-Í-S-T-I-C!"

"Hurry it up! "Feromona"! "Pheromone"!"

"F-E-R-O-M-O-N-A!"

"Time! Alright! The 3 of you: come here. I'm sad to say it but one of us has to leave the program… The one who has the lowest score… And that'll be you, Player 3! But! As a consolation prize you can have this music box with a dancer inside: here!"

"Thanks. I had fun. See you around. Good luck, you two."

"Alright! Get to the table: the laptops are waiting! And! Before we begin the "Great-Great Dictation"… Here comes the section most feared by the Catalan teachers! Welcome to "Incorrect Catalan", the section which tries to help us wreck Catalan a bit more… Today, in this section… Incorrect Catalan in menus… When we go to a restaurant… We won't ask for "peix": in incorrect Catalan is… "pescat"!"

"The pun is: "fish" is written as "pescado" in Spanish. And it literally means "to fish"… So the menu can be interpreted as "grilled fished"!"

"In this age of automated translators… Couldn't they check it out online before writing it into the menu?" Kuroban sighed.

"So! Let me explain the rules of the last trial. Both contestants must write a total of 15 words I'll announce. They're split in 5 levels and the higher the lever the higher the difficulty! And the higher the level the higher the score! So let's begin with Level 1! 20 points per word! "Butxaca"! "Pocket"!"

"Pocket Monsters, eh?" Ernst tried to be ironic.

"Maybe so." Kuroban dully replied.

"Or the Game Boy Pocket." Kisei smirked.

"… Both got it right! "Conspitat"! "Cold"!"

"A summer cold." Umisama grinned.

"… Correct! "Estrella"! "Star"!"

"Golden Star, eh?"

"… "Matusser"… "Coarse"…"

"Insofar they get them right." Kazebun muttered.

"This is Level 1: wait when they start climbing the levels."

"… "Papillota"… "Foil"…"

"I'll foil ya plan!" Sieg laughed.

"… Good, good! But! This was Level 1! Let's jump to Level 2: 4 words and 50 points per each good word! "Delírium"… "Delirium"…"

"Delirium, huh?"

"… Resolution! One of you two has it wrong. Delírium has accent on the first "i"!"

"This one seems to be tricky." Umisama spotted.

"Yeah. It's got a trap to it. There are a lot like it."

"… "Escodrinyar"… "Scrutinize"…"

"The horizon?" Kazebun suggested.

"… Good, good. "Caracul"… "Karakul"…"

"The joke is that, literally, it means "face-ass" but it means a breed of domestic sheep and its wool." Sieg let out.

"Now that'd be a good joke." Urateido chuckled.

"Maybe so." Ernst icily warned.

"Don't spoil the mood, Ernst. It's not their fault that this word came out, is it?" Kuroban whispered.

"Ah. True, sir."

"Is something troubling you? If that's the case then just tell me."

"It's nothing, sir. I overreact, sir." Ernst shrugged.

"If it's just that… But my door is always open."

"I appreciate the invitation, sir."

"… "Bibliofòbia"… "Biblophobia"… Phobia to books…"

"That's an odd one." Kuroban muttered.

"Well, well. Level 3 comes up next! 3 words! 100 points per word! "Crepè"! "Crepe"!"

"The trap here is that final accent…" Eisei spotted.

"… Wow! Both of you got it right! "Strip-tease"!"

"Oh come on." Kuroban fumed.

"… Sadly, enough, guys… You had to write the English form of the word, not the Catalan "estriptis"… None of you earn points!"

"Ah! This was another trap: a hard to spot one." Sieg grinned.

"If it tests their intelligence…" Kuroban shrugged.

"… "Nap-buf"… "Turnip-breath"… Now! The question is: does it have a "dash" between both words? Think about it!"

"Hmmm… Maybe it _does_ have dash?" Kisei tried to guess.

"One writes it with dash… Another without… Resolution! It _had_ a dash!"

"Oho! I met the mark!"

"Now! Let's heat this up. Level 4: 2 words. 200 Points each!" The announcer looked at the camera.

"Man! What tension!"

"Our word of choice is… "Negundo"! Let's see how you write it: it's a species of maple native to North Ameroupe." He announced with a grin and a blink.

"Let's see, let's see!"

"One writes "nagundo"… Another "nagondo"… Are you sure that you want to go like that? Yeah? Well then. Sorry to disappoint you but both of you are wrong. You should've written an "e" instead of an "a"!" The announcer explained with a sigh.

"Man. Player 1 was close." Umisama groaned.

"So. Let's continue. Aürt."

"A-what?" Both players asked.

"Aürt! A hit, a sudden blow…"

"First time hearing it." Both players muttered.

"Alright! Go! Challenge yourselves!"

"Whoa. What an odd word: it sounds German to me. Don't you think so, Sieg?" Urateido frowned.

"Oi, _Danna_… I've got a German name but I only know a few words of German, ya know?"

"My bad. I'd forgotten."

"Hmpf… Player 1 writes "awurt" and Player 2 "aurt"… Player 2 is closer but is missing the symbol over the "u"…"

"Time! Sadly enough… None of you got it right too! So! Let's jump to Level 5: ONE WORD WORTH 500 POINTS! Don't think the winner's come out yet: anything can yet happen! A sudden reversal of roles may happen right here and now!"

"Whoa!"

"So! Today's last word is… "Kakemono"! A Japanese word meaning "something written" or "something drawn"!"

"Whoa! A Japanese word popped out!" Eisei gasped.

"Curious." Kuroban calmly muttered.

"Let's see how you handle this one, my fellows… "Qaquemono"? Doesn't sound right to me, Player 1… "Caquemono"? That isn't right either, Player 2! Try to write it again!"

"Well. You can't expect foreigners to not to know that the Alphabet "c", "q" and "l" don't exist in Japanese." Urateido shrugged.

"So! Both of you settle that "kakemono" is written with two "k" characters, huh? Shall we resolve? Let's resolve! It's correct! So! Who has won tonight's edition of the Great-Great Dictation? Player 1? Or Player 2? Let's kill the suspense, shall we?" The announcer exclaimed.

"Ah! I see. The players don't know who got it wrong by looking at the screens and don't know how many points they have: the announcer has to tell them who won." Eisei realized.

"Player 2 won! Congratulations! You get the 2000 Z pot which will go to the NGO you've chosen! So! Let's meet again next week in the next edition of the Great-Great Dictation! This was Oscar Dalmau's, everyone's favorite announcer, show! And, Lari… I know you're looking from behind the main screen. We'll have a chat later about your magic tricks. See you around, my audience! Bye-bye!"

"And here it ends. It was fun, wasn't it?"

"Somewhat. Guess my mood at being duped by the "ghost" somewhat ruined the festive mood. I'm off to having something for breakfast: racing after a signal with an empty stomach isn't good for my body. And, by the way… Ernst… If you've got some problem going on then don't doubt on dropping by my room." Kuroban stood up with a sigh.

"I know, Prince."

"Good. And you 3: my order is still ongoing. I don't want suspicious chit-chat or making fun of you-know-what. Else I'm going to keep you on the mainland for some days until you learn to behave. But it'd be rather shameful to be told that at your age. Right?" Kuroban glanced at the troublemaker trio.

They gulped and quickly stood up as if expecting some reprimanding from Kuroban but he simply left the room and walked up the corridor to his room: he shut the door and sat on the bed while sighing: he then opened a communications screen and inputted some commands: Slur's face popped out there.

"Slur."

"Kuroban. Did you find something?"

"A fake crow which stole the password for the firewall to build a bypass system… And a signal which led me to some odd communications hub beneath the pyramid…"

"Communications hub? Beneath the pyramid?" She frowned.

"Yeah. It was there before: before the pyramid got blown up, that is. Do you see where I'm getting at?"

"Indeed. It just adds more weight to our theories."

"Check it out if you can: maybe you can feel something I couldn't but I did find something which was relevant too…"

"And that was…?"

"The "Ultimate Programs" of Pharaoh Man and his 4 Ultimate Warriors…"

"… I see."

"Because… _Your_ Pharaoh Man… You rebuild him from scratch using no existing data, right?"

"Correct. We did not find any. And there was not any of it on the "ghost server" either…"

"They even acknowledged me as their "Master"… Come to these ends the "ghost" is telling us we were right, isn't the rascal?"

"Indeed. They are challenging us."

"What should we do?"

"Does anyone else know?"

"Apart from you and the "ghost" himself… No."

"Good. I shall have a look there myself later on too. Let us keep this under wraps. We do not want undesirable ones to dirty that place: I care not for holiness and all but it has some relevance to me. I would like an invention of mine to be bluntly dissected to be recreated for purposes beyond the ones which led to its creation."

"Of course. I wouldn't like that either hence why I denied those "Crimson Lobby" fools their attempt to buy "Denpa – Henkan"… I wouldn't let them toy with my pride."

"Indeed. I shall not tell Serenade, either, for the time being. Once we have something solid… Then I might share it with him. But this information must be tightly compartmentalized…" Slur warned.

"Of course. Like what happened when the Cassini probe spotted the "Ark" travelling across the Saturn System… NASA and ESA decided to classify the data… Even if someone found it by now… They would think it's a Photoshop edit of actual footage: another UFO-loving maniac." Kuroban told her.

"So you suggest that we should tone it down to a believable level in which no one will give it much thought?"

"We could simply say "XY", the "ghost", is a solo Navi like Serenade who wants to test how far humans can come when given power… Doesn't that sound like something classical?" Kuroban suggested.

"Hmmm… It could work, yes. If we make it sound like it is nothing surprising then people may believe it… It would seem like an irony taking into account what Golden Star does yet… Sometimes… Some things are better off not knowing." Slur rubbed her chin.

"My point exactly."

"Good. We shall settle it like this. I suspect we shall have developments in the days to come. Maybe an invitation from "XY" to either you or me so as to tell us what they hope to accomplish…"

"I wouldn't be surprised. Allowing me to find that hub sounds totally like he's inviting us over."

"Yes. Maybe it shall be something not-so-obvious: something like following another crow like that…"

"It'd fit with the guy's style… And I can guess where they're at: we'd guessed it already."

"Of course. It has to be _there_… But I still have not been able to figure out where is it at. Maybe the data was hidden or deleted years in advance: they should have known that things could end up like this."

"They surely did: they've got the brains and the tech. Well. As long as he doesn't have Master Builder complex…"

"Yes. I know. I did read those novels too. They picked me. I would rather say "XY" does not have that personality: but others sure had it when they executed such a project…" She trailed off while fuming.

"Let's talk again in some days' time."

"Understood."

The call ended and Kuroban sighed while glancing at the balcony.

_So. Are you gonna invite us over to your abode, "XY"? I'll be waiting!_

09:46 AM (Bangkok Time)…

"… My Master."

"Ah. XY. So? Did the Net Navis behave?"

"Insofar."

"And?"

"Laser Man was being annoying again. I had to punish them. I installed a program which would paralyze them should they attempt to run out of the city."

"Ego. As usual."

"Of course. Master Helios."

"XY", clad in a silver-colored robe with a hood which hid his form, had stepped into a large lab-like room somewhere in the city he lived at, and was speaking with someone further in.

"Did you receive the souls?" "Helios" asked.

"Souls?" "XY" asked.

"Ah! The Ultimate Programs." "Helios" corrected.

"Ah. Indeed. What should I do? Would it not cause some paradox or problem that there are two Pharaoh Men?" "XY" suggested.

"Maybe you should have asked of them not to rebuilt Pharaoh Man back then." "Helios" drily suggested.

"I apologize. I did not think of it. It was only yesterday that I casually paid heed to the reports of the Net Navis about the odd object in the central hub…" "XY" apologized.

"No wonder. I should have remembered that we did design them to do that but then again…" "Helios" sighed.

"I know, my Master. The energy release was beyond our estimates. We were somewhat _naïve_ with our calculations."

"It cannot be helped. By the time we designed that program… The Cyber World was but beginning."

"And we did not think that any Navi of the age would have enough power to fully exploit it…" "XY" pointed out.

"Oh well. Forget that. They are in safe-keeping. They might be useful to try out other Net Navis' potential. Serenade, for example. He has always intrigued me: I am sure that he discovered the central hub and the "souls" of Pharaoh Man and the others so he came up with a similar technique should something happen to his flesh. But he did not know about the origin of them." "Helios" exposed with some intrigue.

"Indeed. He did frantically try to figure out who we were but we managed to avoid being discovered. Somehow."

"We are not perfect, XY. We never were. Our contemporaries were incredibly foolish. To the point that it cost them their lives. And those of countless innocent ones. We must not forget their incredible mistake in judgment… We swore to not to commit their mistakes!" "Helios" warned him all of a sudden.

"Of course, my Master. I never forget it. I could not to begin with. I apologize if it sounded hypocrite."

"You are not a hypocrite. I know that more than enough."

"By thee will."

"For the time being… Give them bodies. And tell them to train. And improvise a cover tale in case someone wonders how they were rebuilt but then again… Everyone will be blaming the "ghost"…"

"Acknowledged."

"XY" seemed to be about to leave but suddenly stopped and lingered there: "Helios" seemed to notice it.

"What is the matter? XY."

"My Master. I apologize yet…"

"If there is something troubling you then bring it out. You are my lab assistant, not my servant."

"I know, my Master. It regards the child."

"The child. Is something the matter with the child?"

"I think the time may be ripe."

"The time? What time? Ah! You mean… The time for them to know the truth…? Hmmm…" "Helios" seemed to think about it.

"I apologize for the sudden announcement, yet… It torments me to see how they think others made ill use of their abilities and knowledge during that period… It is tormenting the child too… Is it not too cruel from our part, my Master?" "XY" exposed with a sigh.

"You have a point. And since we know they are prone to keeping secrets then we should not fear about our existence become widely-known information…"

"Yes. My Master."

"Good. Arrange so that it happens in a discrete manner. You should have the data from back then at hand. Ah. And this is between you and me, obviously enough."

"None can come close to the underground lab, my Lord. The underground is isolated from the surface. They shall not realize anything. They will be engrossed enough with their own simulations and feeding off their needless "ego"…"

"Fair enough. As they say… Shake it up." "Helios" made a little chuckle which denoted amusement.

"Roger, my Master."

"XY" finally left the room while "Helios" seemed to sigh: there were some sounds and their unlit figure came into sight yet due to the poor lighting of the lab room, only their general shape could be made out yet they seemed to be over a meter and ninety tall.

"The child… I thought this reunion could wait some more years but I guess it would be cruel to make it wait anymore and to have that child get obsessed with that thought… We did not realize the consequences of our actions back then… Another error in judgment, obviously enough. But as I said… We are not perfect. We never intended to be. Nor we intend to be, ever. Trying to be perfect is a dangerous temptation. And I perfectly know what it led to. Well. Let us witness these Net Navis…"

A hologram-made recreation of a room formed and Laser Man could be distinguished training against some standard Net Navis who employed shields with a reflective mirror layer which reflected Laser Man's laser-based attacks: Laser Man was trying to create a cage of lasers which bounced around and which tried to hit the opponents from different angles which were not protected by the shields.

"It forces them to push their abilities beyond the usual: to improve, to innovate… If you want to know how powerful your abilities actually are then… Figure out what their greatest weakness is…" "Helios" muttered as they observed the display.

Another displayed showed Drill Man trying to break through 3 rows of Curzdo Viruses: each row had a different level with the 3rd row being Version 3: Drill Man had managed to get through the 1st row and was struggling against the 2nd one.

"Figure out how powerful your body actually is." "Helios" muttered.

The next display depicted Desert Man trying to change a Metal Stage into a Sand Stage and succeeding on it: he tried next with an Ocean Stage but the sand began to wet and dissolve so he grumbled.

"Terrain does not provide victory." "Helios" criticized.

The 4th display was about Elec Man forming different patterns with his electricity by using the metallic generators and also trying to trap Navis between them but if they were fast enough they could escape the "cage" and move forward to hit Elec Man: Elec Man grumbled.

"Speed is not the key to victory not trying to trap the opponent."

Following Elec Man was Flame Man trying to melt a Metal Stage with the Flame Tower attack but only partly succeeding: he then roared and bombarded it with incandescent meteors which did turn the panels into a Magma Stage: Flame Man roared and tried to beat a Navi who got spawned in the opponent's field but the Navi merely used a Boomerang Battle Chip to cut both candles in half and cancel Flame Man's invincible mode.

"Placing them behind you is useless."

The penultimate one was about Flash Man forming spheres of electricity and shooting them at incoming imitations of Shadow Man but the imitations dodged by quickly moving to the sides or leaping over them: Flash Man hit the ground with both hands to create "Neon Lights" which travelled across it and formed bolts of lightning which shot upwards to hit the copies: yet 4 of them managed to get behind him and delivered several attacks.

"You leave your body exposed while attacking. You are not that much off-track but you need to improve more."

The last one displayed Magic Man using a Curzdo to shield himself from attacks while a Swordy attacked the forward opponent and two Stone Cubes stood to his side: two mage Viruses hid behind them as they summoned Meteors which bombarded the enemy field: the enemy, however, was replaced by a doll, and they leapt into the air to fling 10 _shuriken_: 4 of them hit each respective Virus and deleted them while the remaining 6 hit Magic Man in a row.

"There are other ways of attacking. And they could use a shield, create some holes, and toss bombs. Numbers do not bring victory either."

The displays vanished and "Helios" sighed as they sighed and seemed to move the head in disapproval.

"You Net Navis are still too far away from achieving victory because your methods rely on power: you do not exploit your full potential."

_Child. Come at my side once again. I shall be waiting to meet you again…_


	10. Chapter 10: Endless childhood

**Chapter 10: Endless childhood**

10:40 AM (Japan Time), Saturday July the 9th…

"… Sheesh."

"Eh… Saito – niisan? What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Don't try to elude it. Something's been bothering you for some days already… Why don't you tell me? I want to help you."

"Huff. Well. Do you remember what happened when the Super Cybeast exploded, right? I went missing. For one year."

"Yeah. No scan could find you. But then you suddenly reappeared in the rebuilt Internet City out of the blue…"

Saito had been sitting on the chair in front of the desk and leaning his arms and head there in a lazy manner while mumbling aloud in an annoyed manner: Netto came in from the corridor and looked surprised as he sat on the bed: Saito turned the revolving chair around to face Netto and sighed.

"Well. I did talk with Serenade some days ago. He said he did search for me but couldn't find me either. I then ran some simulations: I thought that it could be like what happened when we beat the Dream Virus: I got plummeted into the Reverse Internet and my body entered a state of auto-repair for some days…"

"Yeah. I remember that."

"Assuming that I had been terribly damaged… I've estimated that my body could've taken up to 3 months to auto-repair… 3 months. Out of 12. The numbers don't fit."

"True."

"Then Serenade offered me a hypothesis which might explain that 9 month gap which I have no recollection about… And that's what keeps me annoyed, you see."

"What is it?"

"That someone picked me, rebuilt or repaired me, and kept me sleeping in purpose to then study my body and abilities… It could've been a foreign power, even…"

"Ah! Then…"

"THAT's what makes me feel SO annoyed! I feel like my whole privacy was stripped away, every bit and byte of me scanned over and over again, until they had enough of me and tossed me in Internet City to make my way back home…!" He stood up and brandished the right fist.

"Well. No wonder." Netto muttered.

"If only I could know who it was…! I'd go and give them a demonstration of what POWER is about! With the Ryuusei Program!"

"Whoa! Calm down, Saito – niisan! That doesn't sound like you!" Netto gasped.

"Then again… Our past selves were smashed to pieces shortly after that: it's an inevitable consequence of how we rebuilt our personalities. It's like the inverse of what happened to Kaiba in _Yu-Gi-Oh_… Yami Yuugi wanted to smash that cruelty and have him realize the importance of trusting the Cards… And he did succeed… in part. But in our case it'd seem that attempting to rebuild our personalities and mind after what happened on that summer led us to developing anger… Anger which sometimes surfaces… In my case… When I use the Ryuusei Form… A cold, icy anger which I pour out in the form of my Ultimate Attacks…" Saito then began to detail.

"… You've got a point." Netto muttered.

"Anyway. Anger won't help me here and I won't make such an idiotic display of myself… Maybe it was some stand-off branch of some country's military R&D and there mustn't be any records left by now… But there might countless copies of me stashed in a lab and ready to be used for war and destruction… The irony of it is SO damned big… I, who fought to such ends for stability, will end up being the key to chaos…"

"W-well. But that's speculation!"

"I know. But it's a possibility too. Which we can't deny. You've seen how eager other countries have been to try to get their hands into a piece of Golden Star's "System"… You've been attacked twice by dangerous folk who wanted to use your connection to Golden Star… And speaking of anger and not being like you usually are… You know perfectly enough what happened after that."

"… Damn. I know." Netto grumbled.

"Another consequence of growing up, I guess. You realize things out there are dangerous, cruel and hostile."

"Yeah. It's a pity but, then again, that's reality, too. You can't deny the overwhelming reality."

"Yeah. Children live protected of it by creating a shell around them which only accepts "friendly" inputs… Like tales, _manga_, music, _anime_… But I'm surprised at the level of mental stability which they have… I mean the Detective Boys from _Conan_… For being 1st graders they sure are able to stomach up all those murders they meet…" Saito muttered.

"G-guess that."

"Sheesh. I need to vent off this annoyance somehow."

"Eh… Swap time! M switched a van for a cart with two rubbish bins, a cover and a broom! Mr. Super thought the broom was the gear shifting and the cover was the wheel!" Netto brought up.

"Oho. That was a good one. Too bad they then got tricked by a sign telling them to turn right and it led into a dead end. That was in the album the "Swapping Machine" which swapped the locations of two persons once a set of coordinates had been inserted." Saito grinned.

"Yeah. But they all got the coordinates wrong and always ended up swapping with the wrong fellow. They did get them right once or twice and in one time they ended up swapping with the caught criminal and ending up on his cell! Heh, heh!"

"Yeah… From what the guys posted in the blog… The "Court Witness" will be a bell-boy who had shown up on a side-series by Ibañez, "El Botones Sacarino" or "Bell-boy Sacarino"… A rather single-minded youngster who ends up unwillingly dragging the Director of the newspaper agency he works in into more than one mess… And the Director ends up causing trouble the President so the President tends to discharge his anger into the Director while Sacarino tends to hide out somewhere to avoid being found by the Director…" Saito explained.

"The craziest newspaper agency in the world! The "Evening Howl", as in a wolf's howl! Sieg should really be Wolverine's lil bro! Wolverine would teach him to be a "cool" guy!" Netto chuckled.

"Switching topics… There's another thing picking me… Some weird dreams I've been having as of late… There's a kind, soft light… Like it was trying to preserve what childhood I still had… As if I should cling into it…" Saito brought with a frown.

"How odd."

The PC beeped and Saito checked it out: he frowned.

"Do you know someone named "Exile"?" Saito asked while turning around to look at Netto.

"No."

"Maybe it's spam yet… The anti-virus says it's clean… And the contents don't look like spam…"

"What do they say?"

"… "The child shall descend into the bowels of the other world and shall find the remains of the past… Deepening into them… They shall find the hidden truth and a door… The door to long-lost childhood… I shall be waiting for you, child. The time to return to my side has come. Exile."… Sounds like some riddle, doesn't it?"

"Huh… Long-lost childhood? It's a somewhat out of the usual wording, no?"

"Yeah. Bowels of the other world…? The Reverse Internet…? Remains of the past…? Pharaoh Man's pyramid ruins…? Hidden truth and a door? I don't know. The door to long-lost childhood… And it sounds like it's actually addressed to ME… It looks like some adult or elder if they insist on calling me "child", I guess." Saito deduced.

"What do we do?" Netto asked.

"It won't hurt to check. Somehow… I get the hunch that whoever sent this didn't have hostile intentions."

"Alright."

Saito lay face-up on the bed and closed his eyes: he seemed to fall into asleep while Rock Man appeared on the PC's screen.

"I'll be going."

"OK."

Rock Man exited the home PC and into Internet City: he headed for a hole leading to the Reverse Internet and jumped down it: he began to make his way across the eerily silent area until he landed in front of the ruins: he spotted that the debris blocking the basement entrance had been removed so he descended into the basement.

"Whoa. So the pyramid had a basement. This must be the "hidden truth" and I guess the "door" is just ahead."

"Looks like it."

Rock Man reached the room with the gateway and crossed it to end up in the hub: he looked around, surprised.

"W-what is this space? Netto – kun? The signal got lost!"

"Do not fret. Child. I shall bring you to my Lord."

"Who…? Huh… Everything's turning blurry…"

Rock Man's sight turned blurry and he suddenly collapsed face-down.

"Welcome back, child."

08:57 AM (Bangkok Time)…

"… Fua~h… Huh? Where am I?"

Rock Man slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them: he suddenly realized that he was sitting in the air inside of a bleak stone chamber which was poorly lit so most of the surroundings were invisible.

"I'm sitting… in the air? Ah!"

He focused his sight and discovered the faint outline of an energy bubble colored golden but it was extremely faint.

"… Wow. An energy bubble almost invisible to the naked eye… And this feeling…? How nostalgic, truly…" He trailed off.

He looked at his hands and then at the bubble.

"… I now remember… My broken body… The pain which began to be soothed… Voices… The soft and warm white light…"

He inclined his body backwards and leant against the western edge of the bubble: he closed his eyes and seemed to be focusing.

"A playground in which I felt like I was 5 years old again… A room… Games, films, books, _manga_, _anime_… Plenty of fun…" He formed a smile.

He opened them again and looked somewhat worried now.

"But I never saw anyone. I could feel their presence around me. Huh?"

The bubble suddenly lowered into the floor (it had been floating about 30cm off it) and vanished.

"The bubble is gone. This place…"

He looked around and tried to clap: the claps echoed back.

"It seems to be underground, it's huge and it echoes… Raw stone… My GPS doesn't seem to work and my "link" doesn't either…"

"Whoa!"

"Huh?"

There was a bright golden flash and Netto suddenly appeared there: he had the PET on his right hand and put on his sneakers.

"Whoa! Netto – kun?"

"Niisan? Whoa!"

"What happened?"

"I got a mail telling me to go to a nearby construction site and enter the building… There was a badly closed fence… So I got in and I got warped here right now…" Netto explained.

"How odd."

"I apologize for the blunt manner yet… I wanted to avoid others getting involved… Welcome to Kan' Derza. Hikari Netto. Rock Man EXE."

"XY" came in and both gasped in surprise: his robe suddenly vanished to reveal his real face.

"XY" turned out to be a Net Navi who looked very similar to Slur yet their face was that of a man on his 30s: he had no trace of facial hair and his eyes had golden irises to them.

The Navi had that same pattern Slur had on her forehead painted there and some black bands spiraling around the neck: he didn't have the stars on the shoulders, though.

"And you're…?" Netto asked.

"Just call me "XY" for now."

"You're the "Ghost Server" owner?"

"Indeed."

"You remind me of Slur." Saito pointed out.

"It is no wonder. We are of the same civilization."

"Civilization? But Miquel said Slur had formed on her own deep within the Cyber World…" Netto frowned.

"That is her cover tale… She did not want to bring too much attention to her origins so she came up with that… She wanted people to focus on the matter at hand and not give it much of a thought…" "XY" calmly explained with a shrug of the shoulders.

"So you're the one who rescued me back then… Right?"

"Indeed. I and my Master were interested in you. We used that opportunity to study you… And then we wanted to try to preserve that "pureness" in you… Sadly… Despite our efforts… It all went ashtray soon afterwards…" "XY" sighed at the end.

"… Yeah… I know."

"Wow. Yet… Why the "Ghost Server", then?" Netto brought up.

"It was a trial for humans… A temptation… A means to study how far they could come if they had the power or tools to… We should have seen the results coming from miles away yet… But standing the whole time must be unpleasant… Let us sit down. Materialize. Armchair. Sofa."

A sofa materialized behind Netto and Saito so they sat down on it while an armchair formed behind "XY" so he sat down on it: Saito touched it with the right hand with curiosity.

"Whoa. You can build data imitations of real furniture… And materialize them without the need of a "Dimensional Area"…"

"Indeed. The "Dimensional Area" was developed by us."

"What!"

"Slur only needed to use the schematics she had on her and pass them off as a project which never got past the design stage…" He let out.

"Whoa."

"I think it is about time I explained who we are. "Jet – Black Phoenix" is a cover name, a distraction… For the Net Navis here… This city is known as "Helios"…" "XY" began to explain.

"Helios… Greek for "Sun"…"

"Indeed. My story begins over… 5,200 years ago."

Both stood up from the surprise.

"You're a Net Navi 5,200 years old?" They asked.

"Yes. I come from another arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. Let me explain: we were a very advanced scientific civilization… We had overcome state-nations and politics and we all focused on researching and inventing: I was designed as one of many assistant Net Navis to researchers… I used live in a colony world which was 3 light-years from our home-world." He calmly explained while closing his eyes as if reminiscing.

"Overcome state-nations and politics…!"

"Yes. We realized that unless we set asides all those things, we would never be united and we could end up destroying ourselves. We had come close to such happenings more than once. Which was one of reasons for which the 3 colonies were founded… To ensure our survival in case of a civil war that went out of control… The colonies were located in a 10 light-year radius and ours was the closest one. It was rich in mineral resources and previously uninhabited… By the time I got created, that colony had existed for 3 centuries…" He detailed.

"A united civilization…!"

"Well. So as to not to take too long… Our home-world began an ambitious project… The ultimate space-explorer… Its name… "Duo"…" He made a grimace upon mentioning the name.

"Duo?"

"Yes. Installed within a craft two hundred meters tall, it could travel across the galaxy…"

"Did you really need such a huge craft?"

"Well. There were a lot of large-scale machines inside: most of them were designed to help improve Network civilizations by leaps and bounds. And there were many tools which could alter chemistry of living beings as well…"

"Wow."

"Duo was also intended to administer the home-world's "chaotic Network" from space, too… Yet! One programming clause brought forth terrible consequences…" He opened his eyes and now looked like he was barely holding back anger.

"Terrible consequences?"

"… "Remove all planets which pose a danger to the overall Universe"… That was the clause…"

"WHAT? _Remove planets_? As in _destroy planets_?" Both asked out of the shock.

"True. So Duo, once activated, saw his own home-world as "flawed-evolution Network", labeled them as "danger to the Universe" and erased the planet…"

"By all the…"

"Some ships nearby saw it and turned on their hyper-space engines to get away before Duo could notice them. Luckily, Duo's craft, being so massive, did not have such an engine so…" He sighed in relief and seemed to be glad of it.

"Phew."

"The news reached the colonies. And a heated debate began. Some said we should flee. Other said: "we created Duo, we can unmake it!" and such all colonies' inhabitants split into two factions… But the "fight back" one was always the minor one… So the "flee faction" won the debate… We built 3 "space-cities", dome-shaped craft, and we boarded them. We travelled away from the colonies using near-light speed since they were too big to use hyper-space… After about 3 years of wandering across our galactic arm… We reached a small planet which was mostly frozen but had a tempered band of weather around the equator… We landed there and began to think of what we should do next… That happened about 5,000 years ago… 2 generations had passed ever since my creation… Well. We decided to settle on another planet and mingle with the species…"

"And you picked Earth?" Netto guessed.

"Yes. Some probes had collected data of the planet some centuries before and we saw it as a fitting candidate. So 1 space-city stayed behind to monitor a permanent "portal" we built to jump into the Solar System from the depths of the Kuiper Belt… We landed in two different spots of Earth and waited… 2 civilizations close to each other had begun to make researches on the basics of science so we approached them and granted them the means to go beyond… They would eventually become the On'Setsu Kingdom and the Mu Empire…"

"Andy told me about those. And we know that Prince Kuroban is the current heir of the underground On'Setsu Royal Family."

"Indeed. His "Ultimate Orb" is based off technology we granted to his ancestors. Yet… Mu was too ambitious. They created the Denpa Body Ra Mu, the Erand Soldiers and built a "Holy City" which could float in the air using Denpa technology… Eventually… A civil war happened… And the city and Ra Mu got sealed in another plane of Time-Space… Even in that condition, though, they were able to keep a few Erand Soldiers which they used in an invasion attempt of the On'Setsu Kingdom which ended in failure…" "XY" explained to them with a sigh.

"Ah yeah… The "OOPArts" which were stolen off different places over a year ago…" Netto recalled.

"Well. Getting back to me… I was assigned to one researcher of the colony and, when he passed away, I became an assistant to his son… That person is now my Master…"

"What! Your "Master" still lives on?"

"Allow me to explain. My Master was in a different position: he had a different view of our future. While most said that we had reached the peak and we should not try to cling into something vain as pride... He refused to let go of it and become an Earthling… By "becoming an Earthling" I mean that he would, over time, marry a local one and create offspring: across the generations the presence of our blood would start to diminish and we would all fade away sooner or later…" He trailed off.

"But he didn't do that." Netto quickly spotted.

"No. He sought another means… By experimenting with data bodies and studying the principles of Net Navis like me… He firstly developed a system akin to Golden Star's "Cross Fusion"… Yet it did not work. So instead of trying to fuse two entities… He saw a simpler way: to become a Net Navi himself…"

"Whoa!"

"And so he did. Yet… He was shunned by the rest of the space-city and he was exiled. I followed him, as my commands told me to. We wandered across Asia for a long, long time… We played roles of foreign merchants or mercenaries or emissaries from distant nations… Eventually, after about a century of wandering, he dared to return here… Only to find that there were none of us left… They all had passed away and their heirs did not know of us or their true origins… The same happened to the other space-city… And the ones who had stayed in the icy planet… They all moved here and did the same… The generation that came after ours… Their progenitors were ashamed of admitting that they had created a monster like "Duo"… So they did not know about him or why the space-city had been left there… So they left the portal open and it continues to be even nowadays…" He nodded in disapproval.

"Heck! And if Duo showed up there and crossed the portal it could spell doom for Earth…!" Netto pointed out.

"Sadly enough… Yes. But, by the time Duo did reach the portal and did cross through it… But that was about 2,350 years ago so… He found nothing worth its attention and quickly shot past…"

"Phew!" Both sighed in relief.

"Ah. My Master is coming."

"Helios" stepped in next: he was a man on his late 50s or early 60s dressed with a strange tunic covering the whole of the body and head which had an "arcane" or "alien" look to it.

The tunic was colored in several shades of blues and whites.

"Welcome to our city. My name is Helios. I am the administrator of this facility. Welcome back, child." He addressed Saito.

"I remember… You're the "presence" I felt during my stay here that seemed to treat me as if I was their child… And you signed that mail as "exile" because you did become an exile."

"Indeed."

"But, wait… Isn't Helios a Greek name?" Netto pointed out.

"True. I picked it during a trip across ancient Greece. I liked it and I took it as a sign of how I belong here. My original name is complicated and hard to remember. This name is easier to remember." He explained.

"And "XY" is a nickname too?"

"No. They are my initials. But it is easier to remember, too." "XY" admitted with a shrug of the shoulders.

"XY. Have you told them about the pyramid?"

"Not yet, my Master. If thou shall allow me to…"

"Go ahead."

"The pyramid? Pharaoh Man's?"

"So you do remember."

"Of course. But… Pharaoh Man said… "It's been 20,537 years since someone entered this room"…"

"Oh, that? Misinformation." "XY" chuckled, for once.

"Thought as much…" Saito sighed out of annoyance: he obviously found the whole deal to be extremely stupid.

"I think we overdid it…" "Helios" chuckled too.

"What's with this mood?" Netto wondered.

"Getting back to the topic, anyway! You admit you built the pyramid and Pharaoh Man and the 4 Ultimate Warriors?" Saito cleared his throat.

"Indeed. And the Gate Men… The whole Reverse Internet…"

"What? But wasn't the Reverse Internet built by some hacking communities which wanted a place away from scrutiny where they could gather and such?" Saito gasped.

"An urban legend we spread… And since it was largely believable then everyone assumed it was fact… We created it as an experimental Cyber World… But none of the Gate Men or Pharaoh Man knew their true origins… They just knew their purpose: that was all." "Helios" added with a smile.

"So the "Saito Style"… That was an invention of yours too?" Netto deduced while rolling his eyes.

"True. A prototype…" "XY" calmly admitted.

"WHAT? THAT was but a PROTOTYPE? It should've been FAR MORE POWERFUL?" Saito was scandalized by now.

"Should is the word. But we were afraid of its integrity being jeopardized and its possible self-collapse so… We reduced its power by 60%." "XY" admitted.

"That was just 40% of its original intended power!" Netto was white by now.

"In fact… Golden Star's "Ryuusei Program"… Its power level is roughly 90% of what we intended for the "Saito Style"…"

"Devil. So the "Ryuusei Program" Andy has is above the "Saito Style", even!" Saito gasped.

"Why did you leave something…?" Netto began asking.

"So dangerous floating around? It was a trial. We did know the moment you used it that it had chosen the right user. THAT was when our attention centered in you, Rock Man." "Helios" admitted.

"You're not gonna tell us you created Serenade too." Saito tried to guess.

"Oh no. Serenade is outside of our intervention. A human's work."

"But we did create the "Dark Cyber World" from where the "Darkloids" came from… An experiment, too…" "Helios" confessed.

"And the Cybeasts? Their grounds?"

"More experiments… But those were started by others back when we had reached Earth… I kept them "frozen" in our servers until the Cyber World began to exist… Then I "thawed" them…" "Helios" detailed.

"Whoa." Netto was awed by now.

"Fine. I get the picture. Yet… What's your goal? Why did you rebuild all of those Navis?" Saito questioned.

"True. Let us get to the present. We wanted to create a community of Net Navis… And have them exploit their intelligence… We granted them access to resources and materiel… We wanted to have them research upon their abilities and figure out how to power them up…" "Helios" explained.

"Hence why their attacks seemed to be far more complicated: exploiting Cyber World resources and physics… Or, others like Laser Man, using complicated laser patterns or lasers in other spectrums like IR or UV…"

"Exactly." "XY" admitted.

"So you don't have a goal per se." Netto deduced.

"No. We are, after all, scientists. Do not mistake us with Nebula. We only seek knowledge. We seek to study the behavior of these Navis, to see what we can learn from them. Our Navis were good, yes, but most of them were not designed for battle. We want to see if these Navis can use their intelligence to overcome their selves. To go beyond their vision of the "possible"…To overcome "ego"…" "Helios" narrated.

"I see… But… Do they realize it? Do they realize that they are but participants in an experiment?" Saito asked.

"Well. Not yet, I would rather say. They are engrossed enough. They all, however, have learnt to think of a plan before going out into an expedition… They MUST expose their plan to the other "Citizens": I am the moderator of the "Forum" where their ideas are exposed at."

"Sounds like ancient Greece, even…" Saito realized.

"Then there must be a voting session. If there is no general agreement then they must listen to the reviews of the other citizens and design their plan anew. It encourages challenge and intelligence."

"So… They don't know that you, Helios, exist?" Netto deduced.

"No. This laboratory is off-limits. Only XY and I can come in or out. Maybe it would be better if we moved this talk to somewhere else… Follow us: it is close by." "Helios" suggested.

They followed him across a corridor and he touched a wall with the right hand: it vanished and revealed an opening into a room made of wood and having a lot of books, _manga_, DVDs, video games, plushy toys and other toys scattered around it: it also had a bed, a wheeled chair, a desk, and a bookcase.

"This room…! This is where I stayed during most of that one year...! Over time I began to realize I missed you, Netto – kun, and I felt how the mood began to shift to sadness… And one day I woke up… And that's when I appeared in the Cyber World…" Saito gasped as he apparently remembered it all.

"Whoa."

"Yes. You had been a human, Rock Man, but became a Navi… Yet your circumstances were special… I thought that you might be able to understand the sadness and aloofness I have dragged on for millennia: I have had countless disciples yet… No real children… And when XY rescued you from the explosion and brought you here… I thought you could become my child… That is why I sought to shield you from the world by creating a paradise, a place where you could always remain a child, a pure unstained child… But, in the end… It was but a fantasy… I could not deny the bond between you and your Operator… I could not deny that you already had a family… And companions… Who had believed in you and helped you out… So I had to let you go back… Yet… To protect the secret of this place… We sealed your memories…" "Helios" admitted with some sadness to his voice.

"I see… So that's what happened… It has taken years but I've finally learnt what happened… And I wasn't that much off the trail when I guessed that someone had been studying me… But now that I know it was you guys then I don't feel annoyed anymore."

"It was not my intention to inflict sadness to all of you. But, for a small time, I felt like I had found something which could grant me happiness, happiness which I had lost a long, long time ago…" "Helios" admitted with a sigh.

"… Hey… Rock Man… What do we do?" Netto broke the silence.

"… Well… Let's simplify everything and say that they just want Net Navis to do what they said: to boil their brains… We should think of them as a new rival gang… Y'know, like they were a Pocket Monsters gang." Saito suggested to him.

"Well. But the tale of their origins… I think that Slur would like to know it, don't you think so?"

"Good point. So let's just ask Andy to set up a private meeting with Slur and report to her. I can just show her what I've recorded."

"We shall not halt you. But I am glad to see that you have enough conscience to realize that this not something you can spread around in off-handedly manner…" "Helios" smiled.

"Of course not. We'll just sum it up like that."

"… Wait a sec… You said you'd explored his memories and you know of his origins, so… Why do you stick to calling him "Rock Man" instead of his real name?" Netto brought up as if he'd just realized.

"Oh well. Since we were using aliases too I thought it would be fairer to call you like that while you are in your Net Navi form." "Helios" shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh. Well. Yeah. Not like it's anything important… I was just curious about that…" Netto admitted while scratching the back of his head.

"So? Can we go back?"

"Of course. Maybe we shall meet again. XY. Handle the rest. I shall return to my laboratory." "Helios" commanded.

"Yes, my Master. I shall warp you two back to your respective locations right now. Good-bye."

"XY" extended his two arms forward and two golden "gateways" formed to warp them away: he sighed and formed a weak smile before he walked towards the room of before: he spotted the furniture and decided to leave it as it was.

"Let us go to the surface."

He headed towards a spiral stone stairway and climbed it up to end up in a room: he crossed over a golden curtain and entered the cubicle inside of the "forum": he sat down on a golden armchair and sighed before he turned serious: a 3D display of the surroundings displayed how the Navis were coming in.

"So you have come. Citizens. Do you feel like you have improved?"

"Somewhat." Laser Man grudgingly admitted.

"I think I'm close to finding a new absolute strategy." Magic Man sounded cocky.

"Hmpf. Which will fail as well." Drill Man taunted.

"What was that?" Magic Man demanded.

"XY" sighed and looked annoyed already.

"Ahem, ahem!" He raised his voice.

Both shut up and "XY" directed his glare at Desert Man.

"So?"

"Huh! I've found out what my weakness is and I'm about to fix it."

"Fine."

"I'm working on a new tactic." Flash Man admitted.

"My new tactic lacks polishing." Elec Man fumed.

"Che! Mine is half-complete at the best." Flame Man grumbled.

"As long as you have something new… That will do." He sentenced.

"Roger!"

"By the way… Citizens Drill Man and Magic Man… I fail to see the point of that in-fighting." He called out.

"Huh! That's…" Drill Man gasped.

"He began it, my Lord!" Magic Man pointed out.

"I knew that. I did not ask of you to tell me. Did I?"

"Eh… No, my Lord."

"Then… Remain quiet. Will you?"

Magic Man gulped and stayed quiet: the others remained silent and Drill Man was the focus of all attention.

"I ask again. What is the point of that in-fighting?"

"Eh… Well… M-my ego is to blame." He admitted.

"There we go again."

"Eh… What should I do?"

"Focus. On. Something. Useful." He slowly exhaled.

"R-roger."

"Try to keep on improving your body! If you cannot make it past mere Viruses how can you expect yourself of being able to pierce through opponents' armor?"

"Yikes! R-roger!"

"Get to work. NOW!"

"R-roger!"

Drill Man left while "XY" fumed and rolled his eyes.

"Well? Is there someone else who thinks they are SMART?" He tried taunting the others.

There was an uncomfortable silence so "XY" returned to his serious mood as if he'd already vented off the earlier annoyance.

"Fine. Continue to work on the tactics… And! Citizen Laser Man: remember my ultimatum."

"R-roger."

"No in-fighting. Or else… There will be CONSEQUENCES. Maybe you would prefer to stay disconnected for a week?"

"N-no!" Everyone gasped.

"Leave." He drily commanded while swinging the right hand.

They all left and the display shut off: he sighed and then formed a display which showed Colonel examining the ruins of the pyramid along with Shadow Man as if they were trying to find something.

"I sealed up the access pit as soon as Rock Man exited it: you cannot find it anymore. No – one can. So there is no danger: let them poke their noses as much as they want. Military… Hmpf… We did have it but eventually realized it was a source of arrogance and of misery and death… We overcame it… And the arms race… It took many centuries but, eventually, the new generations set the path for their heirs to follow…"

"I'm telling you I've seen shadows coming and out of here: something blocked my sight and I couldn't properly perceive them."

"Are you sure? I don't seem to find anything odd."

"Or maybe it's my paranoia… Sorry to have dragged you here in vain."

"Hum. Don't mind it. This silence is too eerie…"

"Maybe you're over-reacting."

"Hmpf… It does not matter… Well then… Do your best, Rock Man…"


	11. Chapter 11: Suffering

**Chapter 11: Suffering**

08:18 AM (Japan Time), Sunday July the 10th…

"… _Hmpf! That'd be boring. Here's one!"_

_Damn it! A 10 cm vibrator! Too big!_

"_Heh, heh, heh. Let the fear begin!"_

_Shit! Why do I always end up in these messes? Go pick someone of your size, you bastards! Damn! I can't see, move, or shout! And this bastard's but started…! _

"_Heh, heh, heh. Now… The main dish!"_

_Eat back your ego with sauce! What! Guwra~h! Pliers on my nipples and electricity…! And to top it off my cock hardened…!_

"_Heh, heh, heh. Now let's plug this!"_

_Some leather bands which tighten around my cock and balls!_

"_Heh! This combo is the best, kid."_

_Don't tell me! You sick sadist! What! A plastic cylinder in my urethra: but this one is different…! It has dots across its surface…! It's tied to a collar which closes beneath my head…! Ugrah! It spins! It's brushing the insides of my urethra! Stop! What if it cuts through the flesh and I bleed? You sick bastard!_

"_Heh, heh, heh. I'll break your stubbornness apart! And then you'll make a good pet!"_

_Who'll be your pet! Huh? They took off the anal dildo and stuffed a smaller one but why…? Wha! This is the bastard's cock? It's HUGE! It's tearing inside of me! Damn it! At this rate I won't even last 1 hour! Hurry up and come, you guys! You should be here by now! What fuck is taking you so long? _

"_Heh, heh, heh, heh…"_

_Shut up! Die!_

"…tto – kun! Netto – kun!"

"Damn it! DIE!"

"Calm down, Netto – kun! It's me! Oriol!"

"… Oriol…?"

"Calm down! It's a nightmare!"

"A nightmare…? Huh… Ah!"

Netto suddenly woke up inside of a king-sized bed set in a room which looked a lot like Kage's one aboard _Purgatory_: he wore a pair of brownish pajamas and was sitting on the left side of it.

"Damn it. That of the fat Latvian still haunts me."

"Calm down. What matters is that you're sane and you're here."

"Kuroshiro… Oriol…"

There was a guy sitting at his right and leaning his left arm over Netto's shoulders.

This guy, Kuroshiro Oriol, was extremely similar to Kage (he was also blonde and had blue eyes irises) and about the same as Netto.

He wore a couple of black pajamas himself.

"How ironic, huh? Yesterday that Helios guy was all about childhood and all and today I happen to wake up and remember how I was tortured for 4 hours by that rascal. Ernst was lucky not to fall into that bastard's clutches himself." Netto growled.

"I know, Netto – kun. But cool it down. That's the past. What matters now is the present."

"Sometimes I wonder if the whole plan backfired."

"But think of what could happen if your friends were targeted instead, Netto – kun! We saw that last summer: do you want that to repeat?"

"Hell. No."

"Remember what Prince Kuroban told you: 4 hours… Compare that to Ernst, Leon, Sieg or Eisei who endured imprisonment and torture for years, even."

"I know. I should be grateful that it was just 4 hours but…! I still can't shake off how that damned tentacle _yaoi_ freak abused of me! XY shouldn't have given the data to the Latvian! Give them Fire Man! At least the rascal wasn't a _yaoi_ freak!"

"Maybe he wasn't aware of Plant Man's _yaoi_ thing."

"Well. Maybe. Guess that alien Navis don't care about sex or maybe they don't know the slightest about it. Thinking of it, I never saw Slur complain at anything about sex."

"I know, Netto – kun. But, well… I'm here to support you, you know? I'll always help you in all I can."

"You're right, Oriol… Why don't we talk about something else?"

"Remember our activities over 2 years ago? They did look like some _Conan_ episodes a lot, didn't they? The whole _SS Scherezade Symphony_ looked like a re-enacting of Episode 174…" Kuroshiro began with a grin.

"True. I didn't realize that afterwards. But let's not forget that it was Kyundai who thought up the plan until we butted in."

"And then… Our plot to try to "pressure" Chief Sorodo into not becoming the new Net Police Chief looked like a total copy of Episode 425, including the "capture" of Suzuki – san by the Net Police…"

"Yeah… And instead of Akai Shuuichi sniping Gin… Laika was the one who shot me and left a cut on my Face Camo mask. Then our plan to try to retrieve Suzuki – san looked like the _Clash of Red & Black_ episodes. Down to that buddy of Laika, Ian Toralov, jumping off the van as the bomb went off… But in our case we just wanted to shoot a paint bullet at Toralov to laugh at Laika." Netto laughed.

"Yeah. We didn't do anything else but that was fun nevertheless. Oh, and instead of going after Mouri Kogorou…"

"I know. We went after a buddy of Superintendent Oda but only intended to have him tell us where Suzuki – san was at. Some of the onboard characters do look or act like _Conan_ characters. Joanne – san would be Chianti, Felix would be Korn, Suzuki – san would be Kir, Bertha – san would be Vermouth, Wan would be Vodka - although far more intelligent - and I would be Gin. Guess President Hades would do for the ever-so-elusive _Ano Kata_."

"Hey. Now I remembered. What happened in the Densan City Hotel had some slight resemblance to Episodes 176 – 178… But the only thing that looked like it was a politician who knew something… Yet the only action we did was warp them away with a "Dimensional Converter" to leave everyone baffled…" Kuroshiro giggled.

"Oh yeah! I forgot. Agoras would be Okiya Subaru. Although it's pretty much obvious by now who Okiya really is but… Meh!"

"I know."

"That cheered me up. Let's talk about gaming. _Biohazard 6_ and _Halo 4_ are about to come! Everyone will rejoice: Sherry Birkin: she's finally back into action! And she's got a side-kick: that Jake Muller guy! Chris and Leon will also be playable with their new side-kicks… It'll be interesting to see what Chris thinks now that Wesker has been brought down."

"Yeah. And I'm eager to know if we'll encounter some traces of the Forerunners in _Halo 4_… The mysterious planet Requiem… And those mysterious enemies with skull-faces… Some Covenant will also show up as well…" Kuroshiro eagerly commented.

"Too bad we'll still have to wait a while for _MGR: Revengeance_ but it'll give them time to polish it up. It's looking cooler with every passing day, sure… By the way: how far did you get in your _Black 2_ game?"

"Oh. I just cleared the 8th gym and I must go find the Plasma Gang's ship to board it… It's at the Giant Hole… What nerves! I guess G-Cis will soon show up: let's see how he behaves this time around."

"Yeah. Let's see if he brings out some secret weapon. Heh, heh!"

"It must be the title screen PKMN…"

"Sure thing… I admit that in my _White 2_ game I'm on my way to the 8th gym myself… But I'm surprised that they changed the order than that old man Shaga is now the 7th one… Because Gyms 3, 4, 5 and 6 remain in the same order… The addition of the PWT was cool, thought. I can't wait to face off against ALL Gym Leaders and ALL Champions…"

"Heh, heh, heh. It looks like B2 & W2 will keep us busy for a while: and other games too…"

"And M&F…"

"The guys told me they plan to begin the day after tomorrow. They want to finish organizing the schedule."

"Alright. By the way: what about your experiment of the indoors _onsen_ pool? Is it progressing?"

"Oh yeah. Maybe we should try it out one of these days."

"Fine. Maybe it'll do to vent off the bad mood."

"What did Saito say about the encounter, though?"

"He decided that he'll grant Helios the title of "godfather" because he did take care of him and all and he must return the kindness… It did help vent off that bad mood he'd been building up and…"

Netto's PET beeped and he groaned in annoyance: he reached for it (it was on a side-table to his left) and climbed out of the bed so that the camera would only show the plain wall behind it: Hikawa showed up onscreen.

"Sorry for the sudden call, Netto – kun. I'll be quick: Aragoma – kun's back and he wants to challenge you so… I'm afraid he won't back off."

"Aragoma Torakichi? Well. Why not. It might do well to freshen up."

"Fine. See you around!"

The call ended and Netto formed a grin: Kuroshiro smiled as well…

09:09 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Hmmm… Legato… You're terrible, my _Danna – sama_~… Teasing me this early in the morning…"

"Heh, heh, heh. My bad, Saito – kun. I can be impatient."

"I knew that. Man. We haven't been lovers for 3 years in vain."

"Heh, heh, heh. By the way: don't you think you could do something about _ani – ue – sama_'s pride mania?"

"Hmmm… I'll try but I can't guarantee total success."

"Oh well."

Saito (wearing light blue pajamas) had been sleeping side-ways on the left side of the bed in Kage's room when Legato softly closed his arms around his waist and licked the base of his neck: Saito mumbled and giggled while Legato chuckled.

"By the way, Legato… Did you get to the ship?"

"Oh no. Not yet. I was leveling up for the gym. But my Raichu will surely deliver victory to me."

"Beware: there might one PKMN with Water – Ground type, like in Gen 3…"

"Good point. But since I picked the Grass starter then…"

"Ah. Good, good. You've got a backup. Oh well. I myself am somewhat behind: I'm about to face Shaga."

"Heh, heh, heh. You got _Black 2_ and I got _White 2_… The opposite of our Operators: curious, eh?"

"Yeah. Like it was a coincidence." Saito giggled.

"Maybe we need to tell Laser Man that it's his _last story_?"

"Hah, hah, hah. That'd be fun. Guess he really "rules it all with anger" and "decays within the aloofness"… Man. _The Last Story_ was cool."

"Sure was. The real-time battles were exciting and they involved some thinking to see how you used your members' abilities against the different types of enemies… But the whispering before the last boss was creepy: don't you think so?"

"Oh yeah… _Ihou no shirushi_… _Foreigner's mark_… _Akai shirushi_… _Red mark_... _Ikari wo motte subete wo shihaiseshi mono... The one who rules it all with anger… Ihou no shirushi… Foreigner's mark… Aoi shirushi… Blue mark… Kodoku no naka de uchihateyoutoshiteiru mono… The one who decays within the aloofness… _And then that sudden rock-like beginning: and the yells and roars during the fight sure helped to level up the tension… A 3-phase final boss… And though!" Saito chanted before commenting.

"Yeah. It had a lot of side-missions as well which were good for character development and background… And is it or did Zangurg's elite soldiers, the twins, look like Zant of _Twilight Princess_?"

"Maybe they were inspired by Zant, yeah. Zangurg looked too similar to the _Shuuen no Mono_ to be a coincidence, I'd dare say. Both "_The Last Story" _and "_Skyward Sword"_ came out the same year so… I know they were two very different companies but somehow they influenced each other in the end… Or one influenced the other… Oh well."

"What should be done with Ooyama, though?"

"Dekao? Sheesh. Shower the guy with cold water: that's what. Or hit the head with a frying pan: if the guy's mom hasn't done that yet, that is."

"The guy only seems to bring trouble along."

"And lies. I've been keeping a record and he's lied over 2000 times ever since we began middle school 4 years ago."

"No wonder everyone is fed up with the guy. Man."

"Oh well. Let's switch to a cheerier topic. How is Leon like?"

"He looks cheery and draws excellent scores on his targeting runs with Zarashe… Yet he sometimes looks like he's on his world and barely acknowledges his surroundings…"

"Hmmm… Maybe he's experiencing the start of puberty and must think that he should have a more adult-like way of thinking, even… We should tell Oriol to have a chat with him."

"Good idea. It'll surely help."

"By the way…"

"What's up?"

"Seven and a half omens dropped by."

"Is that a pun on that programmer, Omenda? Speaking of which, the whole deal with him and Zarashe back in January, 2010… It did look like episodes 309-311 of _Conan_… That about that Itakura programmer, his mysterious program, and how Edogawa tried to trick Vodka into leaving fingerprints behind… Too bad Gin came in and screwed it up…"

"Oh yeah. It was like a re-enacting. The differences lay in that we didn't intend to kill Omenda when he showed up: just tell him it would stain his reputation to admit he worked for an unknown requester… And Obihiro – kun came instead… Netto – kun began to search the lockers but stopped because he didn't believe Omenda could be hiding there… And Zarashe DID mess it up, too… Ironies of life!"

"Sure they are."

"By the way… What did you do with Greiga's data after you finally managed to find a way to safely extract it from my body?"

"Ah… Yeah. Oriol – sama seemed to wait for your decision but I'd rather not leave it lying around… Don't you think that it'd be wiser to dispose of it once and for all?"

"Guess that. Since I wasn't relying on it and it was more of a burden than a useful ability… Or maybe we can give it back to its owner."

"Owner? Helios?"

"Maybe he'll use it to push the Navis further and try to have them beat a down-toned copy… He did sprout one some weeks ago…"

"That doesn't sound bad. Have those guys boil their brains until they become steam…" Legato grinned.

"Let's talk with the lovely duo later on."

"Deal."

"Sadly enough, though… Today I don't feel in the mood to… So let's postpone it for another day…"

"Alright. I don't mind waiting."

"That's my _Danna – sama_~…"

"Heh, heh, heh. I feel flattered." Legato chuckled.

"And praised." Saito laughed.

"Sure thing."

"Let the praises hit the flatter!"

"You could patent it." Legato joked.

"Why not." Saito laughed at the joke.

"By the way… How about this one? Let the sky hit the sword!"

"_Skyward Sword,_ eh? Baado wasn't such a bully in the end."

"Surprisingly enough…" Legato chuckled.

"But I'd rather say that Hyrule's soldiers need to be taught what real courage is about…"

"I know. When the owner of the pub in _Twilight Princess_ mentioned the monsters they all ran off before you could count to 3. She did yell at them to not to come back twice. Guess that she'd serve them sour beer as punishment!" Legato commented before making up a joke.

"Sour beer alright." Saito giggled.

"Let the sour hit the beer!"

"And then there were no beers."

"And then there were no cowards. Guess the Gorons replaced them altogether." Legato chuckled.

"Goro-goro-goro~… Down the hill I go~…" Saito imitated the sound of a rock rolling down a hill.

"And up the hill I go~… Rogo – rogo – rogo~…" Legato came up with an anagram and laughed.

"The Rogon Tribe! The Goron's eternal rivals!"

"Why not patent that for a fan-game?" Legato suggested.

"Sure. It'd become popular overnight." Saito agreed.

"And the popularity would rise like foam."

"Foam Man and Popularity Man!"

"The F – P duo!"

"The crashing duo!" Both laughed.

"And the docking duo?" Netto suddenly popped his head into the room and laughed.

"Sheesh. Netto – kun! At least knock before coming in."

"My bad. I heard you were having fun and I wanted to check it out. Guess we'll need to teach those neophytes how to become phytes." He laughed at his improvised joke.

"How original." Saito rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. Truly." Legato drily grumbled.

"Now, now! Netto – kun! Don't overdo it either!" Kuroshiro whispered from behind him.

"Don't worry, Oriol. I under-do it all!"

He giggled and closed the door while the other two sighed.

"Netto – kun and the guy's weird humor… He could try not to butt in!"

10:20 AM (Japan Time)…

"… So! Wan. Cutie. What's the deal with the "ghost"?"

"From what Miquel told me they'd found out… They're a solo Net Navi who formed alone like Slur – sama and their name is "XY"… They've got a base somewhere in the real world which they name "City of the Sun" and it'd seem they wanna have those guys prove they've got BRAINS."

"Nice summary, my chap. Prize."

"Whoa! Please quit it! It makes me feel ashamed! Bertha – san!"

"Tee, heh, heh. You don't wanna have a thrill?"

"Thrill leads to disaster: speak for yourself, Bertha – san!"

"Oh boy."

"Satisfied?"

"With the info? Sure. Now I know they're got a Harvard degree in math and trigonometry."

"How original."

"My. What dryness. And then there was no dryness."

"The dryness of life alright."

"So! Do you prefer my hand… here?"

"Yikes!"

"Tee, heh, heh. You're an odd masochist, Wan. You seem to prefer the handcuffs and the blindfold and that's all."

"Guess that."

Zarashe was sitting in a chair set inside of Ikada's room: he was down to his boxers and socks and had his wrists handcuffed along with his ankles: a blindfold covered his eyes while Ikada (dressed in her usual clothes) had stuffed her right hand from behind into the boxers and was gripping the skin to the right of the ass to tease him: she giggled.

"Oh well. If you say this is enough for you then I won't go past this but maybe you should think about it, my cutie."

"Maybe." He drily replied.

"Tee, heh, heh. So. Tell me 'bout that Sacarino fellow."

"Well. He's a bell-boy who works in a newspaper agency: the _Evening Howl_… It was usual to employ guys around my age to do the most basic works like delivering packages or such… The problem with Sacarino is that he's somewhat dumb and tends to screw it up without wanting to: and like you know…"

"Yes, I know: his blunders harm the Mr. Director… Mr. Director ends up committing some blunder directly or indirectly as a result of Sacarino's blunders which end up affecting Mr. President. Mr. President takes it out on Mr. Director while Sacarino hides away." Ikada giggled.

"Satisfied?"

"Oh yes. It's time to call for someone and no – one."

"How original."

"Maybe we need a rock 'em all type like Homika – chan."

"I'm skeptical."

"Or a girl 'em all type like Iris – chan."

"I don't think Iris of Generation V is that type of girl." Zarashe skeptically muttered.

"You never know."

"Sheesh. It's a kid-aimed game! They're not going to put anything remotely suggestive in there!"

"Ah. Thought as much… Guess Elza – chan needs to learn not to try to peek into the girls' bathing time…" Ikada giggled.

"Sheesh. I know. That's an overused _cliché_." Zarashe sighed out of annoyance.

"Surprise."

She suddenly slipped her hand inside from the front and gripped Zarashe's cock: he blushed while Ikada giggled.

"I can rub your head with my thumb finger, cutie."

"Please! Quit it!" He pleaded.

"Maybe yes maybe not."

"Now who's the one being mean?"

"Oh dear. Don't worry. It's not like I intend to harass you."

"It totally looks like you're doing that, mind you."

"Do we need to bring out a lawyer? Or a prosecutor? I think Kisaki – san will do well."

"Kisaki? Kisaki Eri? From _Conan_? Sheesh. I don't deny that she seems to be a rather successful prosecutor but…"

"But she keeps you away with her "I – can – read – you" glare. Too bad she lacks at something…" Ikada giggled.

"What?"

"I'm not sure if it's considered canon or not yet… She seems to lack skill at cooking." She commented.

"You talk like you were a chef."

"Oh my. Maybe, cutie."

She suddenly began to lick the back of his right ear and Zarashe laughed at the tickling sensation: Ikada kept on fumbling inside of the boxers with the right hand and began to move it up and down.

"P-please! Don't rub it!"

"Too bad, cutie."

"Please! Bertha – san! I'll complain to Ms. Secretary!" Zarashe complained.

"Oh no. You'll soon get outta that mood, cutie. Your problem is that you like a woman like me teasing a guy like you yet… You're too shy to admit that you'd like to be bullied a little bit… And that you'd like to get hard and get it out thanks to me…" Ikada whispered.

"W-well, that's…"

"Gotcha, cutie."

She began to increase the speed and Zarashe groaned: he suddenly gasped and apparently released: a stain formed on his boxers while Ikada removed her hand and licked the fingers with the stuff on it.

"You're not half-bad."

"Man." He sighed.

"Don't be ashamed, cutie. You're more interesting than I thought you were! Cutie." She leant over his right shoulder.

"I'm flattered." He drily muttered.

"Tee, heh, heh. So you've never had sex, eh?"

"I'm trying to keep it legal!"

"I don't think there's a legal limit for other types of sex, though…" She teased him.

"If you mean _yaoi_… I'm not. I've got nothing against it but I ain't the type for that."

"Oh my. So you'd rather prefer to be a masochist who likes being bullied by women?" She suggested.

"Guess that."

"You've got some fetishes already too… How did you develop them?"

"I don't really know. You're the one who began this by inviting me to tea and suddenly toying with those." Zarashe replied.

"Oh true… Well. It matters not. Yet…"

"Ah no! I'm not ready for anal sex!"

"Oh? And when will you be?"

"When I feel like it. This is an ultimatum: no anal sex!" Zarashe insisted next.

"Fine~… Cutie~… We'll see how long that will last, though…" Ikada teased him by rubbing his jaw with the index finger.

"If you expect me to yield to that teasing… You better be ready to get disappointed…" Zarashe warned.

"Tee, heh, heh. That remains to be seen, cutie~… Let's see how sensible your body really is, shall we?"

"What?"

Ikada suddenly began to pinch his nipples and Zarashe moaned: she spotted how, after 1 or 2 minutes, his cock began to get hard and pushed against the fabric of his boxers: she giggled and then began to rub his nipples with her thumb fingers.

"N-no more! I'm getting hard!" He blushed.

"My, my. What a shy boy."

"I don't need to be "macho" to survive!"

"Good point. I don't need to be a _dominatrix_ pretender to survive either."

"Don't bring that in front of Leon, though! He could go mad with anger!"

"Of course I won't. I'm not going to bother Leon – chan. Let's leave Joanne to screw it up over there. But maybe she'll go back to teasing Miquel."

"What does that gal really want out of Miquel, anyway?"

"Guess she's obsessed with his "mysterious" nature and sees paranoia there and there… I frankly don't see what she hopes to accomplish."

"If she hopes to accomplish something to begin with."

"Tee, heh, heh. Let's have some more fun, cutie~…!"

09:52 AM (Philippines Time)…

"… Let's smash the Final Smash! My Wario will blow you up!"

"That remains to be seen, Umisama!"

"Bring it on, Netsuhonoo! Your Mario is no rival!"

"Heh! My Pikachuu will ZAP and PAZ ya!"

"Eisei. Don't say nonsense, man."

"Did ya say somethin', Kisei? Your Meta Knight is pale!"

"Bring it on!"

"Hmpf…"

Umisama, Netsuhonoo, Eisei and Kisei were having a game of _Great Melee Smash Brothers X _using a Wii console inside of a living room which was part of the Shunoros base: Ernst was playing with a Nintendo 3DS while sitting in a chair in one corner of the room: Sieg and Urateido were having a match using their 3DS' wireless functions in the main table.

"Go! "Ruffresia"! Make mincemeat of that "Samehader"! "Destruction Beam"!" Sieg announced aloud.

"Damn it. Only 25% HP left…! Heal or stake…!" Urateido growled.

"… Hmpf… I'm having fun with my _Golden Sun: Jet-black Dawn_ game by exploring and leveling up…" Ernst muttered.

"… "Solar Beam"!"

"Damn it. Only 1 PKMN left and this guy still has 3."

"Heh, heh, heh."

"But! It turns out that this PKMN is… "Mikaruge"!"

"Oho. The gal champion's hard to chew bone…" Sieg chuckled.

"Go! "Shadow Ball"!"

"Not bad. My PKMN went down. Next! "Lucario"!"

"The mighty "Lucario", eh? Interestin', by Moriarty!"

"… Let's swap characters this round! I pick Donkey Kong!" Eisei announced in the meanwhile.

"Then I pick… Pit!" Kisei decided.

"My choice is… Sonic!" Netsuhonoo grinned.

"And my choice is… Link!" Umisama told them.

"By the way… Where's the _Danna_?" Sieg wondered.

"Dunno. Oi. Eisei. Know anything?" Urateido asked.

"Huh? Ah. I think he's gone to chat with Slur again… Some important chat regarding the "ghost", I believe…"

"Oho. It turns out it's a cousin of Darkrai!" Sieg laughed.

"Not bad!" Urateido laughed next.

"Bring it on!"

"Sure thing! "Shadow Ball"!"

"Hum, hum! Dangerous spot! 27% HP left and you've got 35% HP left: first to move wins!" Sieg exclaimed.

"Sure thing! Alright! "Shadow Ball"!"

"I withstood! "Steel Claw"!"

"Crap! Critical hit! I'm down!"

"Too bad, _Danna_! I win!" Sieg grinned.

"Sheesh. What was your last PKMN?"

"Surprise."

"What! Darkrai! Speaking of the devil!" Urateido gasped.

"Hmpf…" Ernst wasn't impressed.

"Eat this! And this! And this one!" Eisei laughed.

"Oh yeah! Eat this for a change!" Kisei grinned.

"Oho! How lucky! It's a saber weapon! Eat this! I'm a Sith!"

"Crap! Wha! I got done in! I'll ice ya!" Netsuhonoo challenged.

"Ice which your heat will turn into steam!"

"Wha~t?"

"Not bad!" Eisei grinned.

"Sheesh. These guys…" Kisei complained.

"Join the club." Ernst called out.

"I get the irony, man."

"By the way: did you use to get into street fights or something like that, Kisei? Your wounds have always picked me."

"Oh yeah. I was a ne'er-do-well who always got into brawls: I did get to hang around one gang but they bullied me out of my hair color and I finally ditched them… Eisei found me by investigating lone wolves within bands and decided hiring me using my name as basis."

"Correct! It wasn't easy but it was worth it."

"Sure thing. This is 1000 times better than those weaklings and wannabes to begin with."

"Speaking of which… Where's Kazebun?" Urateido asked.

"Kazebun? Good point. I hadn't realized that he was missing. Maybe he's gone off to training."

"Guess that." Sieg shrugged.

"Or maybe the guy is stirring a typhoon in Sharo." Ernst smirked.

"You really have an obsession with Laika, don't ya?"

"Hmpf! It's a way of making them regret their forceful annexation of our country." Ernst shrugged.

"Alright. Do as you like. I don't like the rascal either. Luckily the guy's uncle is gonna keep the guy grounded in Sharo."

"Had it coming… According to the Prince… The guy was trying to stir up some trouble…"

"Some trouble alright!" Eisei fumed.

"Hmpf… Imperialism… It only leads to decline and in-fighting… Spain, King Land, Sharo, Choina… They're all clear examples of it… Egypt too… It only feeds the ego… Rome… Greece… Northern Africa…"

"And let's not forget another one… Mu!" Eisei reminded them.

"Oh yeah. We were, on the continent…" Kisei remembered.

"That was before I got recruited but the Prince showed me footage of it: a dead city… A chunk of floating rock… Now lying in the bottom of the Pacific… And that Burai guy was the guardian of it…"

"I did have a encounter with the guy and tried to taunt the guy by calling 'im "guardian – outta – job" but I hit a vibe and he got so annoyed that he cut through my armor and my clothes beneath!"

"Man. That's some sword, alright." Netsuhonoo grumbled.

"I don't wanna come closer to the rascal anymore!"

"No – one would!"

"Hi, my fellow conspirers enchanted by Uncle Moriarty~… Did ya miss the windy moods?" Kazebun walked in and laughed.

"Guess that. Windy Man." Urateido laughed.

"How original." He drily countered.

"How innovative, by Moriarty's hat and stick!"

"Sheesh."

He sat in a corner and began to browse the Internet with the PET to then begin watching YouTube videos.

"I'm gonna have a look at a _Mujura's Mask_ play-through…"

"Oho! Beware, Windy Man! It'll come out of the screen and eat ya for desserts!" Netsuhonoo joked.

"Oh yeah? I'm skeptical."

"No wonder." Ernst muttered.

"No wonder, oh wondering wonderer of wonders." Eisei attempted to make up some rhymes.

"How innovative."

"No innovation, oh innovating innovator of innovations."

"Sheesh. Leave me alone."

"Sure. In the empty room."

"What empty room?"

"The one with a ghost hand comin' outta the floor gap and askin' for paper… It's on that game, ya know?"

"Sheesh."

Eisei laughed under his breath while Kazebun fumed and focused on his stuff again.

"At last: some peace." Ernst inwardly muttered.

"For now." Kazebun inwardly grumbled.

"Finally." Urateido rolled his eyes.

"Eisei…!" Sieg grumbled under his breath too.

"Did someone call for me~? Let's go! I'm going to beat your records!"

"Bring it on!" The other 3 challenged.

"Look forward to some action soon, my preciousss public!"

The others sighed while Eisei laughed under his breath…


	12. Chapter 12: Steaming minds

**Chapter 12: Steaming minds**

10:49 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday July the 12th…

"… A~h… It really feels like a real _onsen_!"

"Doesn't it? I overdid myself."

"As expected of Oriol – sama!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Ah… It vents off all tension!"

"Tension brought forth by Tension Inc."

"That a joke? I feel like that's some random improvisation."

"Heh, heh, heh. Ya never know!"

The 4 guys (Legato had taken off all of his armor save his helmet) were standing inside of a small pool (6 meters wide per 3 tall and about 1'50 deep) and enjoying the steam which floated around them: they looked in a good mood.

"Mr. Smiles will deliver smiles!"

"Netto – kun… Why don't you quit?" Saito sighed.

"Yeah. Saito's right, Netto – kun. Don't try to change the mood: we were in a good mood insofar." Kuroshiro requested.

"Did ya say somethin', Mr. Blackish than Blacker?"

"I give up." He rolled his eyes.

"Heh, heh, heh. Boarding successful! Time to find the head honcho and beat 'em to a pulp!"

"I know. I'm still making my way through the Plasma Gang ship. I gotta find the password."

"Easy! Pass – word." Netto laughed.

"Sheesh." Saito complained.

"Oh come on." Legato grumbled.

"See? You're spoiling the mood."

"Beware! Spoilers ahead! Chinese scans assault ya~…"

"Sheesh. I know that the Chinese scan-lation of _Conan_ comes out on Fridays but…" Kuroshiro rolled his eyes.

"But they work faster than light-speed!"

"How original." Saito muttered.

"Maybe the vapors are to blame?" Legato wondered.

"Could be." Kuroshiro admitted.

"Vapor Man attacks with a Vapor Beam! _Banzai_!"

Netto suddenly tackled Kuroshiro and pushed him until the NW corner: he then began to lick his nipples while hugging him and Kuroshiro tried to push him away.

"Netto – kun! Now's not the time for that!"

"Behave already."

Saito swam over there and pulled Netto away: Netto groaned out of annoyance and Saito negated with the head.

"Hold it back."

"Why? It's just the 4 of us! It's our private pool! No – one else will come in, man! I always wanted to try doing inside of a pool!"

"We didn't come to the pool to have sex. We've come to relax and have a fun time. Save the sex for later."

"Yeah. I didn't say I wanted to have sex, either."

"Sheesh. Oriol. Don't spoil my fun."

"Sorry, Netto – kun, but you should learn to properly behave." Kuroshiro replied.

"Yeah. Guess you need THIS."

Saito pulled his ears and Netto yelped: he grumbled under his breath while Saito sighed.

"There. Got the lesson?"

"Then leave and come back in 1 hour!"

"No. We're not going to do that out of a caprice you had. This pool is for us to share it." Saito scolded.

"… Saito – ku~n…"

"Legato?"

Legato suddenly swam to behind Saito and hugged him while licking his neck from behind: Saito used his elbows to push him away and Legato groaned.

"Come on, my cutie… It's high time…"

"What's with YOU?"

"Maybe something in the vapors… Maybe I got the mix of minerals wrong and something triggers a desire for sex…?" Kuroshiro worriedly wondered aloud.

"The last thing we needed. Sheesh. Let's bring them out and into the shower room: let's shower them with cold water and then we'll try to fix the pool." Saito whispered.

Legato suddenly jumped into Saito and piggy-backed into him and pulled him towards a corner where the depth was lower: he had him sit into his lap and given Saito's gasp, stuffed his cock into his ass.

"No… Let's have fun here… My cutie… It's been too long…" He began to mutter as if he was ecstatic.

"Oh heck. Let go me, Legato. Get a hold of yourself! Oriol! Get some cold water!"

"Alright."

"No, Oriol. You're gonna stay here with me! Hop!"

"Wha!"

Netto suddenly leapt into Kuroshiro's back and pulled him into the corner to stuff his cock inside of him too while hugging his waist: he began to lick the back of his neck and Kuroshiro moaned.

"Sheesh! Netto – kun! Behave!"

"It's been too long, too… I missed this…"

"Oriol…!" Saito complained.

"I'm sorry! Whoa!"

Netto began to rub Kuroshiro's nipples while moving him up and down along the length of his cock: Kuroshiro groaned and tried to force Netto to let go of him while Saito had been placed by Legato into a position where his upper body was sticking out the pool and leaning on the ground as Legato pumped in and out of his ass from behind.

"My cutie's ass is as wide as ever!" Legato laughed.

"Get a hold of yourself! Man!"

He tried to crawl away but Legato pulled him and had him stand upright as he began to rub his cock with the right hand and grip his balls with the left one: Saito closed his eyes and involuntarily moaned.

"Legato…! Stop it! I don't want to!"

"You want to… Else you wouldn't have come…"

"I came because it's summer! And I wanted to have some fun onboard: not to have sex without me willing it!" He complained back.

"Who cares about the little details? We love each other, my husband: let's enjoy life together…"

"I've got nothing against gay marriage but we've never married to begin with, Legato!" Saito grumbled.

"We're already tied together… Isn't this marriage?" He whispered as he kept on teasing him.

"NO!" Saito annoyingly complained.

"Oriol… We have our marriage rings…"

"Sheesh! That was something I made as a memento of our love! Don't take it literally! I'm not obliged to have sex with you each day of the year…!" Kuroshiro complained.

"Hi, guys. Whoa! What's up?"

Atarasei came in while having a towel wrapped around his waist and looked surprised at the panorama.

"Bring a bucket of cold water! NOW!" Both Kuroshiro and Saito commanded.

"R-roger!"

He rushed off, throwing the towel, and came back with a bucket full of water: he splashed Legato and Saito with some of it and then did the same for Netto and Kuroshiro.

"Achoo!"

"Achoo!"

Kuroshiro dragged Netto out of the pool and Saito did the same with Legato as both seemingly snapped out of their earlier state.

"What happened?" Netto asked.

"The vapors made you go MAD." Kuroshiro fumed.

"Yeah. How about you behave for a change?" Saito sighed.

"W-well…" Legato blushed out of shame.

"Why don't we turn on the fans?" Atarasei suggested.

"Good idea."

Kuroshiro headed over to a control panel and turned on a couple of fans set in the ceiling: the vapors began to be extracted and the room's air stopped being so dense.

"Sorry, Oriol… I lost control of myself. Sorry. Really."

"Oh well. It's actually my fault for blowing it out of proportion with the vapors. Let's go back in and this time around nothing odd will happen: Oscar here will be the referee."

"Alright." Atarasei shrugged.

"Alex didn't come over?" Legato asked.

"I invited him to but he preferred to work out in the gym with Beta X: guess he wants to show off in front of Lily." He grinned.

"Maybe so." Kuroshiro shrugged.

"I brought the PET: how about we listen to "Court Witness"?"

"Sure!" Netto grinned.

"It'll improve the mood." Legato looked animated.

Atarasei placed the PET near the eastern edge of the pool and accessed the blog "GS Nerds" to download the WAV file.

"… V!"

"B!"

N!"

"Welcome back, our public! Today we begin "Court Witness"! It's made up of six chapters of 8 pages each one save the last one of 6 pages! 46 pages! Plus 3 short stories! So we'll make 1 chapter per day, two short stories in one day and the 3rd short story in another day… Let's get it moving!"

"… "Heh, heh! This African warrior with enlarged jaw disguise doesn't suit me bad!"… Someone opens up his mouth, stuffs a TNT cartridge inside, closes it, and it goes off "What a brute, Boss! What a brute!"… "Shut up and walk! Mr. Super is calling! Well! Knock before entering."… "Knock? With what, Boss?"… "How do you knock doors, you idiot? Use the head, man, use it!"… "Yes, Boss…" … CLOC! CLOC! CLOC! CLOC!"

"Hah, hah, hah! He _actually_ knocked with the _head_!" Legato laughed.

"… "Here we are, Mr. Super! What are our orders?"… "There's no time to be wasted! You gotta leave immediately on an URGENT mission!"… "But of course, Mr. Super! Here we go!"…"Later!"… "Huh!" … * grumbles under his breath * …"

"They left, yeah… But without being briefed!" Kuroshiro grinned.

"Mr. Super said urgent so…" Netto chuckled.

"… "W-well… Heh, heh! What is it about, Mr. Super? The mission."… "There's been a terrorist attack in the office of the "Evening Howl": a Gum-2 explosive!"… "Devil! Was it very grave?"… "Well! They had to bring the administrator to the hospital to heal him!"… "Well, well. That can't mean it was _that_ grave."… "But they had to bring him in this bucket! Huh! Messenger! Messenger!"… "Did you call, Mr. Super?"… "Yes! Quick… bring this to the hospital! Ask for the surgery room where they're operating the General Admin of the "Evening Howl"!"… It was the man's right ear! So he'd been blown up to pieces!"

"Yikes."

"… "Well! Back to the mission! It turns out, that, fortunately, we've got a… COURT WITNESS! It was the bell-boy: he says that, before the explosion, he saw a mister who'd lost something in the basement and was searching for it with matches…"… Enter flashback! Our terrorist is a vile-looking fellow with a blue hat, green scarf and simple black suit! "Heh, heh. Fuse's been lit. Got 20 seconds to get away and…"… "Hi there~… Didn't you see "Chindasvinto"? I was bringing the food for it and…"… "Devil! They've seen me!"… Enter Sacarino! Young fellow with a simple-looking face who tells that he doesn't have much brains… He wears the bell-boy uniform and cap but the shirt it's a bit too short for his height so he's always showing the navel!"

"So they didn't have a larger shirt, huh?" Netto grinned.

"… "It was a nice fellow and since it was cold he wanted to offer him his scarf"… "I can't leave witnesses behind… Come, chap, I'm going to warm up your neck!"… "And also helped him find "Chindasvinto"…"… Some kind of grown lizard with teeth that bit his right shoe!"

"So Sacarino didn't really realize what the guy was doing down there in the basement, huh?" Atarasei grinned.

"… "Man! There it is! I knew it'd be hungry!"… "UA~H!"… "And also wanted to carry it so that it wouldn't tire out…" … "I'm gonna load it, I'm gonna load it! I'm gonna load it!"… "And since it seemed to be somewhat thin then he wanted to give it food…" … "I'm gonna give you wood! I'm gonna…!"… "Eat it yourself, dude!"… "Don't bother! It only likes specially-prepared flies!"… "And he then heard a noise behind him like when the Director sneezed!"… BOOM! CLOC! A brick flew away and hit the guy's head from behind!"… "And while he was rushing back inside the nice fellow was leaving while grinning…"… "OURFGL!"… "Did you get it?"… "But of course! What a kind gentleman!"… "What a tender heart! What…!"… "What a couple of idiots you are! That's the guy who set the Gum-2! It's the terrorist!"…"

"They really didn't realize that Sacarino had misunderstood it all or, rather, hadn't realized anything to begin with." Saito giggled.

"… "And since the bell-boy is the only witness who saw him then he'll come back to finish him off!"… "Poor youngster! Well! Angels to the heavens…!"… "We're nothing, huh?"… "You two sure are! GRFJTX! You're stupider than the sentenced to the guillotine that, as his last will, asked for a hat! Your mission will consist on protecting him at all times and catch the terrorist when he tries to kill him! Move it!"…"

"Man. It reminds me of the "Bodyguards" when they didn't give it importance to that rich granny being killed off by her heirs." Atarasei laughed.

"… "Here it is! In we go!"… "Think they've already fixed the bomb's damage?"… BOUM! "No! Not yet!"… "Hey! Ya two! Careful if ya come in: there's a hole! See? B-but what in the…? I warn ya and…! You lot of dogs! Morons!"… "Hi! We're from the "TIA" and we've come to protect the bell-boy…"… "Protect the kid? GRJXTF! Why don't let someone finish him off? He began to help the workers and let a steel beam fall, the…!"… "Come on, don't exaggerate! Just because he let a steel beam fall…"… "Ah no? GRR! Where do you think it fell at?"… In his right foot!"

"Man." Saito sighed.

"… "There you got the bird, in front of the window!"… "What? Get away, you idiot! Don't you see they can finish you off from the outside? Why are ya in front of the window?"… "I'm helping the workers get the bricks inside!"… "Another one~!"… A brick flies in from behind F and hits his head! In annoyance he tries to strangle Sacarino! "Hey… Did you know you've got an odd way of protecting people?"… "Calm down, Boss, don't get nervous! Luckily the brick didn't break…"… "BRRR! Where's that bloody…?"… "Devil, see! The terrorist is…!"… They see a silhouette through a glass pulling a rope up and Sacarino's legs! "But here comes Jimmy "Speed"! Heh, heh! Eat this for a change! Hah, hah! I hit ya, I hit ya…!"… "You've done it, dude! The patron had made me this swing and all, even…"… It turns out Sacarino was sitting in an improvised rope swing and the bullet pierced the patron's nose!"… "I crush ya! Mince ya! Dust ya!"… "Man! Anyone can do a mistake! Besides: another hole in the nose helps ya breathe better!"…"

"M and his poor aiming…" Netto chuckled.

"… "Well. I'm going to the hall to pick up the mail."… "What? Stop, you idiot! The terrorist may have placed a bomb and when you step on it then… BANG!"… "GRGL!"… "With this manual crusher I borrowed off the workers… We'll check it out!"…. "Ow! It hurts! Get out, you bug! Get away! I c-can't even resist a fly's weight! I'm going to take a pill to soothe the pain!"… "Take this! Crush any rubbish in your path!"… "OWA~H! I'm so gonna "crush rubbish"! Ow! The one you have over the head!"… "Hey! Don't interfere with the authorities! You're gonna regret it, man!"…"

"Poor Mr. Director's foot!" Legato chuckled.

"… "Bell-boy! You gotta go to the photographer's study to pick up the photos of Reagan practicing Olympic sports!"… "OK!"… "Wait, wait! We'll escort you! You never know. It's over there, on the city's other end, did ya know? The bad part is that the road back is uphill…"… Sacarino rides a bike and the other two follow on foot! "What bad luck, huh? Matías Guiu Avenue was closed off due to construction works! We had to make a 7 kilometer circuit!"…"

"They had to be blown up by then." Kuroshiro muttered.

"… "Whoa! What's this? It wasn't here before."… "Stop! Don't come any closer!"… A mysterious shape covered by a blanket! "So Mr. Terrorist thinks he's smart, EH? Hiding beneath a blanket like a ghost: and waiting for his victim to come closer, eh? Take victim! Hah, hah! Take skull massage!"… He draws a cudgel and hits the shape but it turned out to be Mr. Director's right foot!"… "UA~H!"… He hits F with a typing machine and M runs off! "Ow! OW! Mortadelo! Do something!"… "Yeah, Boss, I'm gonna ring up Pepe Gotera & Otilio to repair the machine!"… "BROURG! I'm gonna…!"… "Quiet, Boss! Look at the crazy bell-boy, look! Get away from that door, you! They can see you through the window and shoot you from the other side!"… The doors fall off and F pierces the glass window with some fragments stabbing into him! "Kid! I told ya to hold the door while I placed the hinges!"… "Yes, but this mister…"… "I, I…"… "I'm gonna make your head shine by rubbing metal into it!"… "Quiet! Look at that fellow! Have you seen him before, bell-boy?"… "Yeah. In the basement."… "In the basement! It's the terrorist! Let's show him what we think of him, Boss!"… POM! PAF! CROC! CRASH! TONG! "Whoa! What are you doing? I said I saw him the basement… the corner snack-bar, like all mornings, and having breakfast… Obviously! It's Mr. President!"…"

"Sheesh. You should've said that before." Saito sighed.

"… "INCREDIBLE ATTACK ON THE "EVENING HOWL" PRESIDENT! The attackers hit him until his tooth became bland. It'd seem they were two guys infiltrated on the "TIA" but agents for the Communist Party and…"… "You know it! Bell-boy! When you see them tell me and…!"… "Yes, Mr. Prez, I say… The bald guy looked like an alien of _Star Wars_ and….!"… "Alien! The kid called me alien! I'm gonna…!"… "You're not gonna do nothing! Play along and yell "fresh sardine"! You moron!"… M disguised as a fisherman's wife and F hid inside of the dress! While Mr. President, bandaged, on a wheelchair and holding a sword! And… End of chapter 1, my public! Chapter 2 preview: granny, concrete and trouble!"

"Heh, heh, heh. This'll be fun!" Netto, Legato and Atarasei chuckled.

"Huff." The other two sighed.

11:41 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huff! Huff! Huff! Phew! Let's take a break."

"Man. This _kendo_ training program sure is intensive. I need a break or I won't be able to beat this level."

"Building up, guys?"

"Hey. Tom. What's up, man?"

"Nothing. Was bored… Felix was going over _Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary_ and I thought I'd drop by."

"OK."

Beta X was making out in the gym by pulling weights up while being face-up on a platform while Alex, wearing _kendo_ armor, was practicing using a Navi who also wore _kendo_ armor: Tom came in while shrugging and didn't seem to find his Operator's behavior odd.

"Well. The Gym Club on its glory, is it?" Victor laughed at his improvised joke as he came in.

"Guess that, Victor… Any fishes?" Tom asked.

"More like small fish."

"Hmpf… The usual amateurs, I take it?"

"Sure. They left trails miles long. I only had to walk them back." Victor admitted.

"By the way, Victor… Do you know anything about someone named "Pepper Blue"? They've suddenly formed a copy blog named "Pepper Blue Nerds" and they've copied a lot of our content." Beta X told him.

"Pepper Blue? Oh yes! President Hades did ask of me to investigate it because it was a copyright violation."

"So? Who was it?"

"Umisama Garcia. Blue Wave."

"A member of "Shunoros" copied our blog? I thought we'd allowed them to enter it and access the records, though…" Beta X frowned.

"At least the IP and MAC matched his PET so…"

"Maybe Eisei did it using his PET and trying to frame him." Alex suggested to Victor.

"Good point. I hadn't thought of it. Blue Wave doesn't strike as being totally in the prankster league." He rubbed his chin.

"Hey. Guys. Have ya seen my Operator 'round here?" Lily came in and looked around.

"No." Tom replied.

"Hmmm… Maybe the deck then… My bad." She shrugged.

"Don't mind it. Anyone is welcome." Beta X replied.

"Yeah. I know. I just don't happen to be fond of sports… Where did that gal go to? Sheesh. Her aunt will get annoyed again." She muttered with some rising annoyance.

Lily walked out and Sandra came in next: she headed for a locker and picked a couple of boxing gloves before starting to train with a punch-bag hanging from the ceiling.

"I need to do some sport."

"Alright. Join the club." Victor invited.

"Hi~… Sandra The Boxer Appears! Her female "Charem" will beat all those macho boxers, "Hariteyama" included, to a pulp!" Ikada suddenly walked in and came up with some joke.

"How original of cha." Sandra drily countered.

"I fail to see the point. If there's any, Ikada."

"My. Tommy – gunny is annoyed?"

"Leave me alone already. You're annoying."

"Annoying Gal dropped by with the 11:11 AM Yokohama Express."

"Ahem, ahem."

"Yikes!"

Ms. Secretary came in and cleared her throat behind Ikada to show her annoyance.

"Ikada. Is this the best you can do by now? What happened to your earlier instinct? When you found the hospital where Suzuki was being kept at by the Net Police, for example?"

"W-well, I… Well…"

"Good question." Sandra muttered.

"Do you need to be constantly disappointing Mr. President?" She questioned next.

"W-well, I didn't intend to…"

"You have been assigned a mission. You better not disappoint us or we will consider revoking your membership for a period of time: we will not let Golden Star's reputation be stained by you or Tozukana with your foolish behavior."

"R-roger, ma'am…" She gulped.

"Come."

Ikada sighed in defeat and followed her out of the gym as Zarashe came in and looked surprised.

"Bertha – san got scolded again, huh? Times are turning stricter but it's no wonder: a red line must be drawn somewhere."

"Of course. Else things will just worsen AND worsen."

"I saw Joanne – san mumbling aloud in the deck and seemingly trying to come up with a voodoo doll of Miquel."

"No surprise." Lily wasn't impressed.

"Huff. That gal…" Tom complained.

"I know. She's so obsessed with Kage, really… Why doesn't she say outright that she finds his mysterious persona interesting and that it attracts her like a mineral to a magnet?" Lily fumed.

"Guess she's being prideful." Sandra suggested.

"Like that'll help her win at the VR simulator."

"Of course it won't help her." Zarashe shrugged.

"Yo! What's with the moody moods?" Atarasei joined them.

"Where were you at?" Alex asked.

"Busting lil turtles!"

"You mean you were playing a _Mario_ game."

"Bravo! Victor! Alex is gonna beat ya to deducting."

"Sheesh. That was SO obvious: it's no wonder he got it right!" Victor annoyingly complained.

"Maybe you wanna join the "trespassing club"?" Alex drily suggested with some irony.

"Yikes! No!"

"Then… Behave."

"Fine~… By the way: did you hear? They say there's a golden "Koiking" hidden in the 8th gym!"

"I'm sure it's as true as the "Mew is on the truck" urban legend." He skeptically replied.

"Oho. Skeptical Myth Buster came!"

"How original of you." Tom fumed.

"Now, now. Guys. Don't spoil the mood!" Sandra sighed.

"But Joanne – chan is also to blame too, so…"

"I know." Tom fumed.

"Guess I should pull the gal's ears. See ya."

Lily left them while Atarasei sat on one of the benches and looked at something using his PET.

"Oh, I see. So the copycat has been found and removed: guess the Prince got annoyed at Eisei again."

"No wonder." Victor muttered.

"My dear Watson: did you find the origin of the charred bones in Shoscombe Old Place?" Agoras came in.

"I rather found that heaven is our ally."

"Heh, heh, heh. This recent _Mystery Train_ chapter was a good read despite several story-telling flaws…"

"Why don't we continue this chat in the deck? We're somewhat in the way, aren't we?"

"Roger, my fellow Watson. See you, our fellow conspirers. Make those amateurs run for their bullets."

"Heh. Not bad."

Both came out while Atarasei directed a grin at Alex before coming out: he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Oscar – kun and the guy's jokes… They're outdated."

"Totally." Tom grumbled.

"Absolutely." Sandra sighed.

"Sheesh." Beta X complained.

"Now, now…" Zarashe tried to cheer up the mood.

"Whatever. I'm sure there'll be excitement in the days to come."

"Sure thing, Tom. Let's look forward to it!"


	13. Chapter 13: Acids & humor

**Chapter 13: Acids and humor**

08:18 AM (Japan Time), Thursday July the 14th…

"… Mugro~h… Come out, weaklings… Desert Man – sama shall close into you an endless Hell…"

"So you're one of "Jet Black Phoenix", eh?"

"Who goes there?"

"Someone, I guess."

"Wha~t? You rascal!"

"Prideful, aren't we?"

"Grrr… Show your hide!"

"Fine."

Desert Man showed up amongst the Virus Lab ruins and began to challenge aloud when someone replied: he quickly got annoyed and demanded for the challenger to show up.

"Before that, though… Tell me. Is "XY" that powerful?"

"Beyond you lowlife's imagination!"

"Oh yeah? What can the guy do? Make continents rise?"

"Grrr!"

"Hit a vibe? Or, rather… Can he delete you without taking a single wound from your attacks?"

"Grrr!"

"Guess the latter." The challenger guessed.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Someone. And no – one." The challenger countered.

"Get serious!"

"When I feel like it. Desserts Man."

"Grrr! I hate that pun!" He growled.

"Then why didn't they name you Sand Man?" The challenger questioned with some taunting.

"It's already under copyright!" He growled back.

"Oh yeah? There's a Navi named Aqua Man and there's an Ameroupe super-hero guy named Aqua Man too." The challenger let out with some amusement.

"Wha~t? By all the…!"

"Alright. Enough chit-chat. Let's fight."

Forte dropped down and drew his Dark Arm Blades: he quickly dashed past Desert Man from the right and opened two cuts while at the same time the ground became a Metal Stage: Forte then leapt into the air and formed the Hell's Buster to bombard Desert Man with several rounds: he failed to see another Desert Man rising from the ground behind him and forming a Great Lion Head.

"Great Lion Head!"

"What? Ugrah!"

The blow hit his unprotected back but he maneuvered mid-air and landed in a platform overlooking the spot: he then spotted that there were 4 Desert Men and the ground had shifted to Sand Stage.

"Forte! You idiot! What are you doing? I'm not your enemy: those guys out there are! Fight like the Dark Power Net Navi you are!"

"You mean my other self."

"W-what?"

"I'm not the Forte which you guys knew and revived. The revived thing I owe you, that's true, but as far as I know, my other self then acted without anyone's orders. And by then you'd been beaten too."

"Che! Damned Blues! Tricked me, thinking he'd joined our side, and sliced me up with that damned blade!"

"And by the way… I've got something neat here. Poison Stage!"

Forte formed the Poison Stage and 3 of the Desert Man quickly crumbled while the real one growled and vomited sand from the mouth to erase the Poison Stage: Forte began to load energy on his right hand in the form of a golden sphere of energy.

"Eat this, ugly! Earth Breaker!"

"What!"

Forte delivered a blow to Desert Man's forehead and the blow did destroy much of his hat and expose his insides, namely his "Ultimate Program": Desert Man growled.

"Sandstorm! Heavy Sand! Ant Hole! Lion Head!"

"Whoa!"

A sandstorm ensued and blew Forte into the ground: he got stuck in the Ant Hole, the Heavy Sand fell atop him and crushed him and a Lion Head impacted into him from the front: he groaned and managed to get away but couldn't get his bearings while Desert Man's chuckling echoed all around the area.

"You fool… I've powered up! Else I wouldn't have been given permit for this sortie! I'll prove that I can boil my brains!"

"Che. Then freeze 'em by drinking a cold drink with two straws." He taunted back.

"Mwah, hah, hah. Weak! What a weakling!"

"I won't fall for that." He muttered under his breath.

"Let's go! The endless desert nightmare has begun!"

"I wonder about that, ugly. Darkness Overload!"

"Wha~t? Ouwa~h!"

The blow hit Desert Man head-on and the sandstorm began to weaken presumably because its strength was linked to Desert Man's body state or mind state: Forte spotted the guy and rushed forward while drawing the Hell's Buster.

"Hell's Buster!"

"Mugro~h!"

"Had enough, ugly?"

"No… Not yet! I'm invincible~…!"

Desert Man howled and another, weaker, sandstorm formed yet this time the sand was used to rebuild his damaged body portions: Forte gasped but then got hit by a Lion Head which came in from behind him: he grumbled and focused again.

"Mwah, hah, hah. How about giving it up?"

"Who is gonna give it up? I'm gonna prove that you can win a battle sans the need of hatred! I fight because I want to: I don't have a grudge with anyone." Forte fumed.

"We'll see about that! Heavy Sand! 3 in a row!"

"Che. Darkness Overload!"

"Fool! Lion Head!"

"Grah! What a coward!"

"Mwhah, hah, hah, hah! This is my strategy~!"

"I rather think not." "XY" muttered over his radio.

"Yikes! XY – sama!" He gasped.

"So you're XY, huh? About time I heard your voice."

"So it would seem, Forte, so it would seem."

"I heard that you're a solo Navi. So. What do you hope to accomplish by using these guys?"

"I would rather test them."

"And what would you gain from that?"

"Maybe a glimpse of one of many futures?" "XY" seemingly shrugged and didn't seem to care too much.

"The "infinite possibilities" talk, huh?"

"If you must name it as such…"

"W-what does that mean, my Lord?"

"Oh. Nothing. I already said it: whether you succeed or fail is of no consequence either at short term or long term. What I want to see is how you can come up with something new: something that no – one had thought of before." "XY" calmly replied.

"R-roger."

"So. Unless you have something better in store, which I honestly doubt you have, maybe it is about time you admitted that your plan had some flaws to it?"

"R-roger! Huh… Che! I'll remember this, Forte! You got lucky but next time you won't be so damned lucky~…" He growled.

"Che."

Desert Man formed the "Jet Black Phoenix" and fled the area so Forte sighed and stretched: he quickly looked around as if he'd felt something but spotted nothing.

"My imagination…?"

Shrugging, he headed back elsewhere but didn't spot Slur floating higher in the air and looking indifferent.

"So that is your voice… "XY"… One day we shall meet… As Net Navis of the "Creators"… You hinted at your existence back when we assaulted the "Crimson Lobby" and you used that time-freezing device… But now it has been confirmed… Hmpf… Let us return… There is work to be done."

10:38 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Well. I guess it was a good idea to go have a picnic off-city and enjoy the summer breeze here. Kei and Jake…"

"Of course, Father."

"What's the mood onboard _Purgatory_?"

"Everyone seems ecstatic now that we know more about the "ghost" and some are starting to wonder what kind of Navi it is…"

"Anyone would…"

"By the way, Kei – niisan… Do you know someone named "Red Carrot", by any chance?"

"No. Why'd you ask? Jake."

"I got a mail with an attached WAV file… It reads "MFCWC02"…"

"… MF…? CW… C02… Sheesh."

"Huh? What's up, Father?"

"Eisei's handiworks. Again."

"Again? Sheesh. The guy never learns! Does the guy?"

Daikani was talking with two teen guys who obviously were his sons as they were having picnic in a camping area.

Kei, the older, had black neatly arranged hair and brown irises.

Jake, the younger, had black messy hair and brown irises: he could be a few inches shorter in height than his brother.

Kei wore a sleeveless gray T-shirt along with jeans and sandals.

Jake was wearing a short-sleeved marine blue shirt, brown shorts and sandals.

They'd been chatting when Jake frowned upon seeing how a mail had come to his PET: Kei didn't know what it was about but Daikani grumbled.

"Undoubtedly. I got told the other day that they'd made a blatant copy of the Golden Star blow with the name "Blue Pepper"… And now this? He stole the newest broadcast from the sounds of it."

"I see! MF is "Mortadelo & Filemón", CW is "Court Witness" and C02 is "Chapter 02"…" Jake guessed.

"Did he always strike as being the type who's always up to mischief?"

"You saw how the other time he showed up near home and played a prank with a mirror and sunlight…"

"I remember, yeah."

"How about we play it and prove to Eisei that this doesn't intimidate us to begin with?" Kei suggested.

"Well. Why not."

"… V!"

"B!"

"N!"

"Welcome to a new edition of… "Court Witness"! Action! "Devil! There's the bell-boy, loner than a cow-boy! And I did tell Mortadelo to keep a close eye on the kid!"… F slams his hand down into a box atop a desk but gets it pierced by a spear: it turns out M had been hiding inside of the desk with a Hussar soldier disguise! "Here I am, Boss! The sentinel with the Hussar disguise in case someone tries to… But, Boss…! What's the matter, man? You surely didn't want me to dress a white coat to defend the bell-boy! Right! You're never satisfied with anything!"… "What a hole! Ow! If I had to beg for a coin I couldn't pick it up…"… "Hold on, Boss! I'll bring some disinfectant alcohol so that you can cleanse it! Heh, heh, heh!"… "Time to go… I'll bring Marcelino's bottle!"… Sacarino carries a bottle labeled "alcohol"! "Why! I was looking for this! Lend it to me, boy!"… "Why did he pick the sulfuric acid for Marcelino's car battery?"…"

"Sheesh. He was reusing a bottle of disinfectant alcohol to carry sulfuric acid?" Kei sighed.

"That's a very dangerous habit." Jake grumbled.

"Of course it is."

"… GOR! GLO-GLO-GLO! PHCSSS! UWA~H!"… "Well, son, who would've said it? That the stomach can bear more alcohol than the hand can!"… "Where the devil is the bell-boy at?"… "Well! We end shift at 2 PM! Heh, heh! And the first bell is here and the second in the bus stop! Devil: we mustn't leave him alone! Gallop, Mortadelo!"… "Yeah, Boss! Jia~h!"… "Come in: there are plenty of free seats!"… "The fat woman pays double!"… "That's the Congress!"… "How rude!"… "Devil! We were too late! Hurry it up! We gotta catch it somehow!"… "Yeah, Boss! I already have the bus-catching disguise on! You really have less sense of humor than the newest boss of Center Union!"… "Run! Run! 1-12 stops at this pace… I'm gonna collapse! W-we finally caught it! Quick! Inside!"… "Why, dudes! Are you the real tongue academy guys?"… "Look, Boss, look! He was getting off in this same stop!"… "O-off! Get off! D-didn't want to open the door… H-had to jump through the window…"… "Y-yeah, but ya didn't see that street light!"…"

"12 stops chasing after it and it turned out it was the stop where the bell-boy got off at… Man." Kei sighed.

"No wonder it makes you feel the exasperation." Jake muttered.

"Yes, I know."

"… "T-there! I can see the kid!"… "I t-think he lives in the 9th floor!"… Elevator: out of order! "Whoa! How surprising! The stairs are filled with mice!" Rompetechos the terrible sight guy: cameo appearance! "F-forget it, Boss… Forget it and keep on crawling… N-ninth… W-we're finally here…!" … "Yeah… Feels like it was yesterday when we began to climb up, huh? Huh? How odd! There's no bell!"… Granny inside of the flat! "Huh! A worm! How repulsing! Take this! Go the prairie!" PLANC! Hits F's finger with the fry-pan! "UA~H!"… "Whoa! The worm sure yells! Whoa! It's a gentleman! How terrific! How do you manage to have such a wonderful finger?"… "Did ya know, grandma? I took off the bell that had broken down to fix it and…" … Heh, heh!"

"Hence why she mistook the finger for a worm, huh?"

"…"Wow! Whatcha doin' 'ere? Weren't ya playing "it" there on the editorial? Well, well! I didn't say anything!"… "Boss! We're here to protect him!"… "Ah! So you're buddies of my grandson? Come in! I'll ready a chocolate with fried pastries! Sorry for the mess… I was washing the floor and…"… "I know, ma'am, I know!"… "Wow! What a shoe! Have you been crossing the Atlantic on foot? We'll leave it here to dry… And to vent off the stench, too…"… "Have you scouted? What's the bell-boy doing?"… "In the floor…"… "In the floor? Devil! They got him!"… "No, I mean… He's in the floor, picking up the pushpins which fell off the box!"… "Push…? UWA~H!"… "Whoa! I hadn't thought you could pick them up like this!"… "Mister! I heated the iron to dry the sock! Bring it, bring it! But first take it off the foot, man!"… PCHSSS! "UWA~H!"… "The boy sure has some voice, my dear!"… "GRMBLHXYZ! My shoe! Where is it?"…"

"Man. His right foot will end up crushed at this rate." Kei sighed.

"What a panorama."

"I know."

"… "W-was it a humid one there, on the window?"… "Yeah! Right!"… "See… I didn't know that… I use it to try the shape that the shoe-maker had me fix… Now I bring it! Well. I don't think it'll feel tight… Heh! Are you feeling comfortable?"… "Sure thing! And if you gimme an oar I can take part in the Cambridge race!"… "Hey! You've got the chocolate! Come drink some, come!"… "Bejjj! Reeks of fried cats!"… "Come on! Gift horse!"… "Grandma, what did you do with the quick concrete I had here?" … "Q-quick concrete~? Dear me! Then… The chocolate I prepared… Dear me! Dear me!"… "Yes, ma'am! Tighter than a surface-to-air missile! The stomach got as hard as boulder! Listen!"…TONG! TONG! TONG! "OURGFL!"… "Gonna bring him to the hospital! Luckily I was here to take care of him!"… Brings F with him but forgets the low ceiling and F hits the upper edge of the door!"

"That granny should check her glasses." Daikani muttered.

"Sure needs to!" The brothers muttered.

"… CLONC! CLONK! "Come on, Boss! While I'm here… You're in no danger! Wait a min: I'll get a car! Don't move, eh?"… "37… Here, on the ground floor! What a shame! It was on the way so they've left it on the stairs! Well, let's do like in the bulls, box it and there we go…"… The funeral service guys come in to pick a deceased person but mistake F for the deceased and stuff him inside! "A g-gentleman with two hair strings? Yes, the funeral services men carried away."… "Funeral service! Devil! Come on, Boss! Cheer up! I've come to rescue you~! Stopped on the red light: now I've got my chance!"… "What times! Yesterday, stopping at the red light, I saw a guy jumping into the van in front and stealing a living rooster!"… "That's nothing, man! See, see! They're stealing a corpse!"… "Devil! Hey, you two! They're stealing the body!"… "Wha~t?"… "There, Boss, straight to the hospital!"… "Stop! Halt! Thief!"… "I~H! Look, Pepe, look! It's gotta be Dr. Frankenstein!"… F's legs stick out the passenger window!"

"Madness upon madness." The three of them sighed.

"… "Bring this here, you rascal! It's ours!"… "Whaddya saying, you silly-head? It's mine and only mine!"… "Devil! The funeral services' rivalvry has come to spectacular ends!"… "T-the corner! The corner!"… CRONCH! SCREE~CH! Both cars turn on time but F ends up crashing upon the wall! "T-then… He's not…?"… "No, man! Listen at his groans! Listen!"… PLAC! PLAC! PLAC! PLAC! "OURGFL!"… "Brrr! How bothersome! He's so stiff he sticks out from everywhere! Ah! What an idea! There's a car accessory store! Well. I think I've got the solution… Let's get to the hospital!" He carries him atop the roof like skies! "I'm saying I can't! The kids, the dog, the fridge… There's no room for your mom!"… "I'm saying she's coming with us! There!"… "Brute! Miserable! Ruffian! Get me OFF HERE~!"… "I insist that this is a barbarism! Vandalism!"… "I'm saying it's legal! I saw a guy doing it!"… "Well! He finally can move again… But it was a living Hell to get rid of the concrete!"… "OW! OW! OUWA~H!"… "Hi~! Are you fine? We brought hot chocolate to heal you and…!"… "Hot chocolate!"… "Unthankful and brute! They bring a present as healing: instead of thanking brings the grandma and the grandson to the surgery room and tries to operate using a saw: Interpol's searching and…"… "And I told them to protect those 2! Grrr! If I catch them!"…"

"They just had to piss him off. Man." Kei sighed.

"Oh boy." Jake sighed next.

"This is so maddening… I don't see how there can be anyone who likes it: maybe children, but…"

"… Well, Boss, I rather think that…" … "I don't give a crap for your opinion! Shut up and blow the flute! Blow it!"… Mr. Super searches for them in an Indian suburb: M disguises a fakir and F sticks out a sock posing as a snake from a pot! End of chapter 2! Chapter 3 teaser: amusement, bombs and trouble! V!"

"B!"

"N!"

"VBN! Off Air!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Yo. _Danna_. How was it like?"

"Eisei. I knew it. You were close by."

"Heh, heh, heh."

Eisei showed up from behind a tree while chuckling and stuffing his hands on both pockets.

"Oho. I thought Atarasei would be here but doesn't look like it."

"He'd been assigned a mission." Daikani replied.

"Oho. I see, I see… Well then… I'm off before _aibou_ gets annoyed at me: stay healthy, _Danna_… And for the two fellow conspirers… Beware of suspicious cross-dressing guys. Heh, heh, heh!"

Eisei ran off while the 3 of them sighed and resumed their picnic session as if nothing had happened in the first place.

"Hard to believe he's number 2." Kei muttered.

"True, Kei – niisan. Feels like he's number 22 instead."

"Oh boy. Let's hope this is the last time we must go through this."

11:11 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh. You've got some fetishes of your own, don't you, Obihiro? One-piece swimsuits…"

"W-well, yeah, Atarasei – kun."

"Man. Your ass feels good."

"Guess that…"

"Hey. Don't complain. You specifically called me and said you wanted me to come over to your flat and bring a one-piece swimsuit of your size: it was obvious that you wanted to have sex!"

"I know! I'm not complaining!"

"Oh well. If that's the case then… Put some more enthusiasm into it, man, or we won't get anywhere!"

Atarasei was talking with Obihiro as he had sex with him within Obihiro's bedroom bed: Obihiro wore a black one-piece swimsuit (and Atarasei nothing) and he blushed as Atarasei had him sat on his lap and thrust his cock inside of his ass while toying with his nipples using a black leather vibrator.

"You surely were feeling lonely, huh?"

"Well, yeah. Ijuuin – kun is always training, Meijin – san has work to do and Superintendent Oda only pulls jokes on the staff. Hikari – kun has his hobbies too…"

"But the guy told me you'd have sex before, right?"

"W-well, first time it wasn't like that… They teased me by having sex between the 2 of them and I had to listen and imagine it…"

"Oho. Amusing, by Uncle Moran's half-beard."

"Half-beard? How original."

"Heh, heh, heh. Oh well. Can't say some S&M from time to time and in a light manner can hurt… Seeing how Sieg does it…"

"Sieg is Sieg! I'm different!"

"My bad. I didn't want to offend ya."

"Oh well. Forget it."

"Fine. How about I tease something else… like your cock?"

"Eh?" He blushed.

"Here we go~!"

"Whoa!"

Atarasei pulled away some of the swimsuit covering Obihiro's cock and began to rub it with the vibrator: Obihiro groaned and his cock got hard so Atarasei closed Obihiro's right hand around it and instructed him to rub it in the meanwhile.

"Yeah! Shoot it out and that'll make me shoot it out too. Let's have some fun, Hacker – sama~… And why don't ya tell me who number 649 is, by the way?"

"Didn't you see the official revelation by Nintendo today? It's named Genesect and it's of Bug – Steel types!"

"Oho. Genesect… The Sect of Genes!" He laughed.

"How original. I think it's a combination of "genetic insect"!"

"Oho. So it's an artificial PKMN?"

"More or less. It's actually a fossil PKMN equipped with a modern device on the back. You can stuff some "Drives" on it and Genesect's signature move, "Techno Buster", will change its type…"

"Oho. A type-shifting attack…"

"But there are only 5 types: Normal, Elec, Aqua, Ice and Water!"

"And it can't be changed during a battle…"

"But, well… It's not like you can change Arceus' "Plate" during battle, right?" Obihiro reminded him.

"Oh. True. Oh well. When do we get to download it?"

"Next month, I heard."

"Excellent news! I can't wait to test out its power. Let the power hit the drive!" He laughed.

"Oh come on… Whoa!"

"Oho!"

Obihiro went off and stained the inner side of the swimsuit while Atarasei also went off inside of his ass: both panted and Atarasei laughed as he pulled Obihiro up and placed him face-up on the bed: he then got into the six-nine position.

"Ready?"

"Ready!" Obihiro looked animated.

They both began to suck each other's cocks for a while until they released and lifted their heads to breathe: Atarasei got into the right position over Obihiro and then hugged him to proceed to share a kiss with him: both got engrossed on it and then broke apart while watching the white string connecting them together.

"Heh! The white string of fate."

"G-guess that." Obihiro blushed.

"Try my ass out."

"Eh! Really?"

"Of course! I want some thrill and I don't want this to end up as a dull one-sided session, man." Atarasei insisted.

"A-alright. I'll g-give it a try." He gulped.

"You're a guy: bring forth your courage!"

"I never had much." He muttered under his breath.

"Huh? Did ya say something?"

"N-no, nothing! I'm going to do it!"

"That's the spirit!"

Obihiro gulped and hardened his cock before stuffing it inside of Atarasei: he gasped in surprise and Atarasei closed his arms around his waist to push him further inside.

"Whoa! It feels… good!"

"Of course it does: move it, chibi – chan!"

"Sheesh." He blushed and looked elsewhere.

"Heh, heh, heh. Let the chibi hit the chan!"

"Oh come on!"

Obihiro began to move at the pace Atarasei set while he whistled a tune and Obihiro seemed to be feeling ecstatic: Atarasei began to rub his own cock as if to get in the mood as well.

"Here I go, chibi – chan!"

"What? Whoa!"

Atarasei released and stained some of the waist area of Obihiro's swimsuit as Obihiro also released inside of Atarasei and sighed in relief before dropping atop him, panting.

"Whoa… I got in the mood and I felt so good…"

"See? That's the best part of sex, man. Let the sex hit the six!"

"How original." He drily muttered with some annoyance.

"Heh, heh, heh. Let's have a summer nap!"

Atarasei pulled the covers over them until they were covered until the neck and suddenly turned around so that Obihiro was below him: he did something and Obihiro blushed: his next act was to toss the swimsuit outside the bed before covering them in the blankets: moans ensued.

_Heh, heh, heh. You're hornier without that on, Obihiro… Let's have fun!_


	14. Chapter 14: Cousin trouble

**Chapter 14: Cousin trouble**

09:19 AM (Japan Time), Saturday July the 16th…

"… Well. I think that _aibou_ must be glad we're not sticking around in the HQ and have gone out for a walk instead…"

"Does the Prince imagine what we're up to, Eisei?"

"Of course he does. But as long as we don't joke about it in front of Ernst or Umisama… And we don't bring it up within the HQ…"

"I know. He'll tolerate it and pretend it's nothing. We better be careful 'cause _Danna_'s patience can be as thin as ice, Urateido…"

"I know that."

"I know that BETTER than ya two. Huff."

Eisei, Urateido and Sieg were walking down a city street that morning and sweating because of the intense sun and the heat: they soon reached a non-descript two-story house which had a locale on its ground floor and having a banner which read "Satara-ya": the sliding door's glass was thick and you couldn't see what was inside.

"By the way, the "Satara" there…" Eisei brought up.

"Ah. Yeah. It's my true surname. "Urateido" was made up to avoid dragging my mom into trouble whenever I was up to something… Like last year's summer, when I tried to train that Hikawa guy and sell him to a _yaoi_ club…" Urateido whispered.

"But ya don't mind being called like that?"

"It makes me feel cooler. Like I had a secret ID."

"Oho. Guess that."

"Alright. Let's go in. Bruce must be waiting. And mom said she'd book Room 1 for us."

"Heh, heh, heh. Your cousin, Yanada Bruce, isn't bad but the guy's still too green. Needs to put some more lust into the deal…"

"Meh! A matter of time… I don't want my cousin to be a mirror copy of me so it's fun to see how he learns."

"By the way: you never mentioned your dad…" Sieg asked.

"Oh. Mom and he divorced when I was 7 years old. He'd been going out with a job partner. I haven't met him again since then. I never liked him too much: when I was a brat he was nice and all but after I turned 5 he turned distant and looked like he found our life boring. Mom hadn't opened the store yet. That was when I turned 10." Urateido explained with a shrug of the shoulders.

"So what did she do in the meanwhile?"

"Oh. She helped in a friend's clothes store as part-time worker: it was a women-only store so she began to be told by other women about the profits this business brought with it… She began to research and after accumulating money… She opened this store. And it's been a good business insofar."

"Alright. We can hear the story later. Let's go in or Yanada will bite us for being late." Eisei suggested.

Urateido opened the door a bit and they stepped in with Eisei closing it behind them.

The store's space had three shelves which had books, magazines, _tankobons_, DVDs and Blu-Rays: a simplistic black metal chandelier which had artificial candles on it hung from the ceiling: the light-bulbs had been painted purple to create a creepier atmosphere: there also was a plain wooden door set mid-way across the opposite wall which was closed and had no banners: a counter had been set on the NE corner but there wasn't anyone there.

"Yes! I'm coming… Ah! Samuel. About time ya and your pals showed up: your precious neophyte is burning with impatience. I had to be a bit "threatening" to keep him in line."

"Sorry, mom. Some robber gang apprentices held us up for a lil while until we beat the crap outta them."

A woman on her late 40s or early 50s walked into the counter.

She could be about a meter and eighty tall: she had blonde curly hair and blue eyes irises.

She wore a simple sleeveless plain shirt, jeans with a black plain belt and white socks plus the slippers.

"Good morning, mistress." Eisei and Sieg greeted.

"Now that's the way I like to be greeted." Her earlier annoyed mood seemed to be replaced by something else altogether.

"I'll go change at Room 1. So by the time Yanada goes down I'll be ready for the session." Sieg announced.

"Good. We'll fetch Samuel and go down. Mom. For how long will be the room be free?"

"1 hour! I've got 6 clients today with bookings. So as soon as you end cleanse it up and free the room. Punctuality is part of the customer service too."

"Can you handle all of them?"

"Don't worry! Carla – chan, my old business partner, will come over since she's on a vacation. She's the one who showed me the ropes of _dominatrix_ so she'll give those guys some lessons. They're one-timers so there's no danger of them coming back and then complain saying the level lowered." The woman laughed.

"OK, mom. Let's go, Eisei."

"Later, mistress."

"Later, cutie." She blew him a teasing kiss.

Eisei got red and she began to laugh: Urateido rolled his eyes as both entered the door to their right to enter the entrance of the house section: they took out their sneakers, placed them in the cupboard, and put on the slippers: they climbed the stairs and opened the sliding door into a room labeled "SAMUEL".

"Yo! Bruce."

"About time, Cousin Samuel! I was fed up with waiting!"

"We found some robbers who needed a beating."

"Ah! If that was it… Where's Sieg?"

"Getting ready in Room 1."

"That was fast."

The room had some cushions set in front of the TV, a bed, a desk, a chair and a cupboard.

There was a teen guy about Leon's and Sieg's age sitting in one of the cushions and watching the TV: he stood up and turned around when the other two came in.

He had messy blackish hair and brownish eye irises.

He simply wore a sleeveless red t-shirt, blue shorts and white socks.

"I know. Let's go to Room 1. We've got 1 hour: and mom wants us to finish with enough margin to cleanse the room and all."

"OK!"

The group headed downstairs and headed for the plain door: Urateido opened it and it led to the basement stairs: they headed down and found a small hall with two doors on opposite sides labeled "Room 1" and "Room 2" respectively: the guys entered "Room 1" and found a brick-made room with a chandelier similar to that of the hall: it had a metallic triangular horse with a vibrator built on it set there.

"Yo."

Sieg walked over to them: he'd taken off his clothes and put on a thin black leather collar around his neck, and also had four circular thin bands set on his shoulders and hips: they were connected by two adjustable bands travelling across the height of his body's sides.

Other stuff included two sets of thick bracelets on his legs and ankles.

He also had a couple of long bracelets set on his forearms.

"Hey. Yanada. _Danna_. Been a while. Did _ani-ue-sama_ ignore ya altogether ever since then?"

"Of course. The guy sure irritates me, with that superior attitude and all, and how he always looks at me like I'm pathetic."

"Heh, heh, heh. Guess he got influenced by the mood in Golden Star last month, eh? Amusing, by Moriarty!" Sieg laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. Can we begin already?"

"Sure thing. Hop!"

He quickly jumped into the horse and lowered himself to have the vibrator go inside: he moved both hands behind and Yanada grinned as he used a padlock to lock both bracelets: he then picked some neatly coiled rope from a hook in the wall and tied some of it above and below Sieg's nipples as well as using some to connect the legs' stuff and keep them bent: he used a long one to connect both ankles and keep the legs spread as well: he then picked a ping-pong racket from a shelf and began to spank Sieg's buttocks: Sieg merely seemed to shiver from pleasure with each spank and he got hard.

"Heh. You really are a masochist guy, huh?"

"_Ane-ue-sama_ trained me well! I told ya: 3 years!"

"Oh yeah. True. So let's see more of that training."

"By my guest, _Danna – sama_~…"

Yanada picked a thin and long vibrator which had four leather bands of fixed length sprouting from a ring along the battery compartment: they ended in a small collar which was open: Yanada lowered Sieg's cock skin and opened his urethra: he stuffed the still switched off vibrator inside and secured it using the collar which he tightened on the base of Sieg's cock: Sieg looked thrilled.

"Keep on with the _ritual_, _Danna_ – sama~…"

"Heh, heh, heh. Ya needn't tell me."

Yanada grabbed a black wool blindfold and placed it over Sieg's eyes followed by a metallic ring which he set on his mouth to keep it open: he closed the band behind Sieg's head to secure it on place.

"Your nipples lack stuff, man."

He opened a box and drew a couple of metallic clothes pegs with a thin chain connecting them and which he clipped to Sieg's nipples: he then picked a remote and turned on the horse's vibrator before turning on the one in Sieg's cock.

"And now I take up the free space!"

Yanada used a pair of built-in rungs to climb and be some centimeters above the horse's surface: he drew his cock through the jeans' zipper and stuffed it inside of Sieg's free space: he began to move.

"Not bad. You've been researching, eh, Bruce?"

"Sure! Cousin Samuel! Aren't ya being too quiet, Eisei?"

"Huh? Ah. Well. I was reminding my times being the "M"… I know some like to say S&M is "Slave & Master" but it stands for "Sadomasochism" and the "M" is the masochist…" Eisei distractedly muttered.

"It ruins the atmosphere. Let's play M&F."

"Oh. Sure."

Eisei drew his PET and accessed the blog: there was a notice in one of the posts which said "NO SPIN-OFFS ALLOWED, GRAY THUNDERBOLT!" just above the WAV file.

"Man. Guess I did piss them off." Eisei whistled in surprise upon reading the notice.

"I saw it coming." Urateido sighed.

"Why spoil their mood?"

"Dunno. I felt random."

"… Welcome! VBN! On Air! Today! "Court Witness Chapter 3"! Let's move it, fellows! "We must keep an eye out in a discreet manner in front of the bell-boy's house entrance! The terrorist can show up at any moment to finish him off!"… "Done! With the mail-box disguise: it sure fits me!"… "Why, that mail-box wasn't there before… Maybe some buried a stamp and it grew up alone… Well then. Let's fill the sack. Devil! T-there's only a couple boxers…"… PTAF! Rear kick from M! "Devil! I-is that the postmen's new uniform?"… "Oh no! But you can't imagine how aggressive mail-boxes are nowadays."… He had to wear medieval knight armor!"

"Oho. Stealing M's boxers from behind, eh?"

"… "Hey, there, forget the disguises! I hide in this empty tree and you there on the sewers…"… "Like rats, even! Sheesh!"… "GRFTJX! This isn't an empty tree: the city garbage dump!"… "Don't complain, Boss! That wasn't the sewer, but a register-box of the electrical company!"… "Hey, dudes! Hanging around, huh? I'm gonna have a walk on the district fair to see if I can get the oven of the shooting range!"… "Quick! Let's follow! The terrorist can show up anywhere!"… "W-well, I can go alone!"… "Hey, kiddo! Heh, heh! Here: this soccer ball I found."… "Wow! What a cool soccer ball! Over here!"… "There goes baldie Maradona!"… "Where'd you get it?"… "A granny gave it to me… What a coincidence! She looked like the mister I saw on the "Howl" basement!"… "T-the mister in the basement!"… "T-the t-terror… ist!" … BOOM! "Done with the witness! Heh, heh! Not even a single hair must be left! Devil: unharmed? What's he looking at? AH!"… M &F ended up hanging atop a street-light! "OURGFL!"… "W-we're falling!"… "Quick! Bring something to smooth the blow!"… "Comin' ASAP! Wait for me! I placed it! You can fall!"… ZIU~H! BLOUM! "Devil! What'd you place? What…?"… "An old absorber from a van I had at home! Didn't you want something to…?"…"

"As usual… Everyone assumes a car's or a bed's absorber will "absorb" the blow… But they're meant to absorb tensions!" Urateido laughed.

He spotted how Yanada was gripping Sieg's balls with the right hand while rubbing his cock to excite him with the left hand: he blinked Eisei an eye and Eisei grinned back.

"… "What brute dudes, man!"… "Hold back, Boss! Our mission is to protect him!"… "There's the fair! And the culprit will try to kill him while disguising with the crowd… Let's find the bell-boy!"… "This plank's moving: I'll place my eye on the guy without being found!"… PTAF! "What, did you place the eye? Did you place it?"… "No! I got it placed! Black as ink!"… "I'm saying I get prize! There was a glassy head there and I knocked it!"… "I'm telling you there's no glassy head!"… The knock the background head with a ball game… "Yeah, yeah! It had an idiot face like that over there! L-like t-that o-over… GLGLGL!"… "Hey! The balls were mine! Who'll pay for them?"… "Forget it, man! Maybe he wasn't hungry to begin with, anyway!"… M had him swallow the balls!"

"Balls, eh? Do you want me to CRUSH them, Sieg?"

Sieg seemed to shrug and Yanada gripped the balls with both hands but Sieg didn't seem to care: Yanada laughed and released inside of Sieg's insides so he stuffed a string of anal beads there which Sieg began to slowly suck in only to pull them out because Yanada closed the ring at the start of the string on his cock so that his cock's bulging would actually pull them out.

"… "Brrr! There's no way to see anyone with this crowd!"… "Yeah! Maybe some idiot gets pick-pocketed!"… And a guy pulls out F's wallet from his rear pocket! "Ah! I can scan the area from atop this structure! W-what's this small door doing here?"… "OUMPF!"… BANG! "Got it, got it! Heh, heh! I got the prize!"… "What an odd castle! Teeth come out instead of bad guys."… It's a game of pushing a small train up an uphill track and reach a small castle: F's head popped out from the door and the train hit his teeth! … "Boss! Why did you drop so suddenly? Did something happen? Raise your head, man! You're going to be stepped on!"… "OURGFL!"… Still dizzy, F crawls across the ground and ends up leaning his head on the plank of the hammer game: if you hit it with enough strength, the higher the arrow will reach! If you hit the bell then you get prize! BLOMPF! NANG! "OURGFL!"…"

"Fairs will become F's trauma, eh?" Yanada laughed.

"Sure thing."

He was now using candle wax which he let drop into Sieg's balls (which now had 8 metallic pegs clipped into each side) while grinning.

"… "Come on, Boss! That was nothing! Some air and you'll recover! Bell-boy! What are you doing here?"… "I was gonna bounce in the bounce-beds…"… "But don't stay still, man! They could hit ya from 6 K away!"… "And what do I do, dude? Spin around?"… "There's the kiddo! Heh, heh! Eat brick!"… "Move from side to side! And sometimes you duck! Like this!"… TROMP! "OURGFL!"… "Why! What a face, dude! Looks like a Picasso painting!"… "Devil! That had to be the culprit! He's still close by, then!"… "GRR! I'll soon find out by riding on this boat swing… Push it right away!"… "OK, Boss! I'm so good at pushing… Here!"… "Ah! UA~H!"… The boat gets to the peak and he falls down! "D-dear, what a blow! A-another one like this and I'm dead…"… The boat swings down and hits his head! PLONC! "BRRRR!"… "But, Boss! You mad? Those boats aren't stopped with the head, but… W-well, I didn't say anything! Man! What moods!"… "This time YOU get it to see if you spot him! I'll push!"… "Yeah, skipper..."… "Take push! Take this!"… The boat's supports breaks and it flies off!"

"A flying boat, eh?" Yanada grinned.

"… "Devil! This ain't a boat! It's a jet!"… "I'm saying it's forbidden! Get your toy-ship outta the fountain!"… "Man! And you believe you're the king of the world!"… "As if I'd let them! Even if it was an Admiral I wouldn't let them park their boat there!"… SPLASH! "Splashing me like I was codfish… GRJFTX! If I get ya…!"… "It's a sea-accident, man! Go complain to Lloyd's!"… "Ah! See, see! He's gonna stab him! We won't make it on time!"… A shadow looks about to assault Sacarino from behind him with a knife! "Leave it to me, Boss! I always have the Australian native disguise with boomerang at hand!"… CLOC! "UAGH!"… "I hit the guy! Heh, heh!"… "Got the pig, got 'im… got… Ah!"… It turns out it was a cardboard figure for the horror house: a light from behind created the shadow and some bystander got hit! "And you call me pig! I'm going to give you pigs! I'm gonna…!"… "OUWA~H!"… "Heh, heh! The basement's mister likes action too!"… "The mister…? The culprit! Why do you say that?"…"

"Good question." Eisei admitted.

He glanced at how Yanada had lowered the horse and was having Sieg suck on his cock while he gripped his head from behind and set a quick pace.

"… "Look! He's riding in the carousel!"… "Let's locate the kid and finish up!"… "He's not running away! Jump, Mortadelo!"… "I'm coming, Boss! CRAP!"… "What are you doing, you fool? You hit the full speed lever!"… DJIAOI~H! CRONCH! They all fly out and F, gripping the culprit's neck, ends up hitting a tree head-on with the culprit! "Splendid work, you 2! The culprit's been caught and the bell-boy will able to testify in court!"… "Cheer up, Boss, Mr. Super's praising us!"… "As a reward… Here! 20 tickets to ride in all of the fair's facilities! Have fun, boys, have fun!"…"

"He had to bring out the trauma!" Eisei snickered.

"… "Incredible vandalism against a technical superior! They tie his feet to a tree, the head on the closest carousel, and turn it on! And each time the victim yelled they had him swallow a fair ticket! The cops are chasing the culprits, believed to be in the Sahara and…" … "You really do silly things, Boss! Wasting 20 tickets like that!"… "Shut up and run, you bald disgrace! If you talk to me about fairs again I'll harpoon you!"… They ran off into the Arctic with M as the sled dog! So! V!"

"B!"

"N!"

"VBN! End of chapter 3! And! Teaser for chapter 4: judgment day, zoo and animals! Off Air! And! Gray Thunderbolt! We're watching! Don't you EVER AGAIN try to SPIN OFF our BLOG!"

"Man. Now they have a grudge with me!" Eisei sighed.

Yanada laughed at it while Urateido sighed: Yanada released inside of Sieg's mouth and he then pulled out the urethra vibrator to let Sieg release: he stained his body with the release and panted so they took off the mouth-ring: he chuckled.

"I missed some thrill, man! Heh, heh, heh. Let's do it like this next time around! _Let's rock 'n roll_!"

12:32 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Run, weaklings! My attacks are unpredictable and you lowlifes can't run away from them!"

"Ugra~h!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Come out! Golden Star! This time I'll bury you 50 feet under! Flash Man – sama's power is infinite!"

"I wonder about that. Defective."

"W-WHAT? Who was that?"

"Hmpf."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Burai. The one who'll bring you down. Here and now."

"W-what's with that murderous glare?"

"Dunno. Maybe it's because you're boring. I'm interested in the bigger fishes… Especially… You. "XY"."

"Burai of Mu… I have heard of your exploits."

"Eh… Master? Why didn't thou tell us…?"

"About him? Honestly enough, I thought he was overseas."

"Oh! I see."

Flash Man had burst into a building somewhere in Internet City and forming attacks out of nowhere when Burai cut in through the left wall and directed a bored glare at Flash Man which lowered his confidence: he called out for "XY" and he calmly replied.

"Whatever. Show me what you can do. Defective."

"Che! Octagon Lightning!"

8 streaks of electricity formed out of nowhere and drew an octagon on the floor: they then jumped for Burai but merely jumped into the air.

"What?"

He suddenly cut a piece of the concrete ceiling with four swift moves of his blade and kicked it with the right foot: it hit Flash Man head-on and knocked him into the ground: Burai then landed atop it and aimed his blade at Flash Man.

"Your attacks are thought for slow opponents. I'm not one. You'll have to do better than this, Defective."

"Che! Warp!"

He warped behind Burai and drew his forearms blades which frizzled with electricity: he tried to hit Burai's back but he suddenly spun around and, with one swing of the blade, cut off the blades' upper body: Flash Man gasped but then Burai delivered a kick to the jaw with the right foot which made him recoil: he then plunged the blade through the upper torso and it emerged from behind: he pulled it out but the wound quickly healed using a black semi-liquid mass.

"Hmpf… Auto-repair nanomachines…"

"Indeed." "XY" confirmed.

"Fine. And here I thought this would be boring… Maybe all I need to do is to cut you to pieces…"

"W-what! Like I'll let you! Shining Grand Crusher!"

Flash Man loaded up energy and shot 8 beams of energy at Burai but they got repelled by his Mu Rejection: Burai then wall-kicked against a beam and climbed higher up: he cut a steel wire of a cargo crane which had a container for construction debris set there and it fell down atop Flash Man because he was still looking for Burai at ground level: he got crushed beneath it but warped to the upper level: he ripped a thin pipe off the wall to use as improvised sword: they jumped for each other and began to struggle: Flash Man made the pipe frizzled with blackish streaks of electricity and its mass and length increased: he began to spin it and Burai tried to attack through it but got deflected: he formed a smug smile and switched his sword to the left hand: Flash Man frowned.

"Huh? What?"

"I'm a ghost. Like your sneaky employer."

"What was that?" He grumbled.

"I can do - THIS!"

He suddenly jumped at Flash Man and plunged his right hand _through_ him but remained inside: Flash Man stopped his movements out of the surprise and gasped when Burai did something: the right hand glowed for some seconds but then some blackish mass began to cover it and seemed to solidify it so he pulled it out and looked at it with slight interested while Flash Man grumbled.

"You were trying to steal data from my Ultimate Program!"

"Yeah. But your employer is pretty careful… All of the data is corrupted or deleted and my ability has been sealed for 50 minutes… But then again I was expecting such tricks."

"Che! Golden Star found out something?"

"Do you need to know to survive? Citizen."

"Huh! N-no, my Lord." He gasped.

"I would rather suggest that you… focus."

"R-roger! Neon Light! Neon Light!"

Two "Neon Light" attacks flew towards Burai but he merely jumped down to the ground and landed atop the container: he jumped down and used his sword to slice up the "Neon Light" attacks: Flash Man dropped down and tried to hit him with the pipe but the Mu Rejection popped out and repelled him.

"I'm like Captain America: my shield is almost indestructible." He taunted with a smirk.

"W-wha~t? This damned rascal!"

"Hmpf. How about I teach you how a sword is used like…? Hrah!"

Burai suddenly dashed forward and drew a curve with his sword which formed a crescent moon cut on Flash Man's chest.

"How's that like?"

"Che. Thunder Punch!"

His punches frizzled with black electricity and he tried to punch Burai: he did make contact on the chest but Burai didn't seem to mind the blows: he then punched him with the left fist on the left side of the torso and the blow did make Flash Man recoil.

"But I don't need a shield to win: I have enough with my raw fists and feet as well. Maybe I'm like Bat-man and I know a wide range of fighting techniques…"

"Che. Thunder Fall!"

"Maybe Thunder Man will sue you?"

A thunderbolt fell down but Burai had it coil around his sword and changed it from yellow to blue to then shoot it at Flash Man: he growled and stepped back before drawing the pipe again and roaring as he rushed for Burai and tried to deliver an attack with both hands but Burai merely blocked it with his sword placed horizontally: Burai stepped back and jumped back to the upper level where he spotted a metallic container which was empty: he jumped inside and Flash Man frowned but quickly formed his "Shining Grand Crusher".

"Shining Grand Crusher!"

The attacks focused on the container and something suddenly blew up: the shockwave pushed Flash Man off the upper floor and had him fall into the floor: Burai dropped from above all of a sudden and plunged his sword through the chest: Flash Man howled as Burai jumped away: Flash Man got up to his feet somehow but his balance was poor and he was leaking blackish data from the wound which he clutched it with the right hand and panted.

"D-damn it…! Who the hell are you?"

"A lone wolf… I've trained in swords for over 10 years…"

"Bloody hell…! A veteran…! And here I thought all of them were mere rookies…!"

"Hmpf. You'd be better off not underestimating other parties: they all have potential… And far more _patience_ than you lot have… Mere underlings of a "Demon Tribe Chief" wannabe…"

"C-che! I'll remember this chagrin! I'll eventually have you lowlife pay for it…! And I know what you did! You swapped with a Giga Count Bomb and you used the explosion to put an end to the fight…! You tricked me in a lowly manner!"

"Lowly manner? Who are the ones who pick on the weak to feel strong and invincible?" Burai drily shot back.

"I am afraid we shall need to have some "talk" about that." "XY" muttered with a hint of annoyance.

"R-roger, my Lord." He gulped.

"Retrieval. Farewell, Burai of Mu… And it is as you think." "XY" added as if confirming something Burai was thinking of.

The "Jet-Black Phoenix" phenomenon ensued and Burai calmly covered with the right arm: he then de-materialized the sword and narrowed his eyes.

"It's as I think… I guess Slur knows something… Maybe it's about time I had her confess the true details of this affair…"

"Puku! News, de puku! "XY" is a Polynesian Navi who seeks to achieve world domination, de puku!" Bubble Man ran in brandishing a data cube and grinning.

"Wrong. Flee." Burai hissed and directed a murderous glare.

"PUKU~! RUN FOR YOUR NEWS, DE PUKU~!"

"Mere rubbish… Alright. Let's go find Slur. That type gotta be at _Purgatory_… Let's go there ASAP."

10:46 AM (Bangkok Time)…

"… Master Helios?"

"XY. What is the status?"

"Burai of Mu is surely going to be briefed by Slur…"

"Well. As we had predicted: he, too, is an inheritor of our technology and had surely connected the dots by now."

"I know. For the time being… I am managing to keep this location secret and it would seem that Kuroban and Slur are not interested in finding it: maybe they find our challenges to be… convenient."

"We had imagined that as well."

"I am sorry if I am but repeating things."

"Oh. Do not mind it, XY! You know that I never get angry at you: have you seen me get angry at you in all these millennia?"

"No, my Master."

"See?"

"Acknowledged."

"XY" came to report to "Helios" inside of the lab: "Helios" looked engrossed handling several screens and having several Program – kuns colored white and silver with golden eyes who apparently were waiting for commands and helped him in his researches.

"I had to force Flash Man into hibernation."

"What did the fool do?" "Helios" sighed.

"Start a fight with Elec Man: some paranoia saying that Elec Man had lowered his attack outputs and all… And that he should be immune to Elec attacks… He would not listen to reason so…"

"I knew from the start that the chances of them working together would be extremely low yet… I was counting on your pressure."

"I apologize if I have failed to accomplish my duty, Master." "XY" lowered his head in respect.

"That is not, XY. Those fools burn away your patience at a maddening rate but you must try not to lose your composure. Some displays of anger are good in some cases to show them that your patience has a limit to it and to remind them whom they must obey." "Helios" patiently replied with a sigh.

He finished inputting commands and the Program – kuns dispersed to other sections of the lab: "Helios" formed an armchair and sat on it while "XY" remained standing.

"Incidentally… Did you check the status of the "Kyutora" colony? Nothing odd has happened?"

"What could happen, my Master? Only Gray Thunderbolt and Kuroban can access it by now. I retrieved the "Duo's Crest" which Laser Man had so that he cannot access it." "XY" frowned.

"Ah. True. I was mistaking it with the other colony in Earth, the one which Slur accessed… Nothing has been leaked, I take it?" "Helios" asked with some curiosity.

"No. Wild speculation has begun there and there. I saw Bubble Man trying to sell speculation to Burai of Mu about me being a Polynesian Net Navi intended on world domination." "XY" muttered with some annoyance to his voice.

"Really… They always need to speculate like that. We are not the typical humans who show up in cinema."

"True, we are not."

"But then again Bubble Man has a fame of not being trustable and desperately trying to make up money. He did sell out Rock Man's location when that foolish Colonel was trying to capture him: they wanted to use him as bait for Forte… Just to avenge Serenade… And then they say personal grudges are not allowed in armies. You were not giving a very good example." "Helios" explained.

"True. It was so… _childish_. One would expect them to behave in a more mature manner but that is not the case. I did stir some internal trouble for them so that it keeps them busy and I can fully seal any access to the communications hub." "XY" reported.

"Good. Did you already install the "Ultimate Programs" in new bodies, by the way?"

"Yes. I did have them keep Rock Man's form: I thought it could "incentive" the Net Navis to put some more "enthusiasm" into training and insofar… Desert Man cares not, Elec Man cares not and Magic Man cares not… The only ones who seem to care are Flame Man, Laser Man, Drill Man and Flash Man…"

"No wonder. Desert Man was defeated by Muramasa Blues, Elec Man was deleted by Forte and Magic Man has never met Rock Man… And Drill Man was beaten along with Plant Man and Dark Man by the combined power of Rock Man and Blues…"

"Reviewing past imagery… I still find it curious how Serenade had so much power when he had just managed to upload one tenth of his program into the real world… And the "Saito Style" program DID need a LOT of polishing, my Master. It totally looks like another personality took over Rock Man when he used it." "XY" sighed.

"Ah yes. One of my sins: lack of interest. We thought that the side-effects could be polished but apparently no – one found the time or energy to try to do so." "Helios" admitted.

"Well. Rather than sin…" "XY" argued.

"I know I tend to speak of sins a lot and I never cared about religion: we were free to believe in whatever forces we wanted to believe in but we overcame the beliefs on the "super-natural"… Yet a sin is something which you have to burden with. Which is what I have done: as one of the species which created the monster named "Duo"…" "Helios" reminded him.

"I know, my Master. You accept moral responsibility despite having absolutely no involvement with the Duo Project."

"Exactly."

"Hmmm? A communication from Pharaoh Man… I did assign him to be guardian of all perimeter sensors… What is the matter?" He muttered before asking.

"A thousand apologies, Lord XY. Yet…" "Other" Pharaoh Man began but got cut.

"Get to the point." "XY" commanded.

"Roger. Some curious ones have triggered the 1500 M sensors from the SSW… They surely have not noticed anything, yet…"

"Are they armed?"

"It does not look so. They seem to be exploring the forest."

"It would not be the first time: this area is considered a biological reserve and it gets a lot of visitors."

"Your will!"

"Besides. There are no ways into the mountain. The one that existed crumbled millennia ago. There are no natural caves. Everyone has catalogued the mountain as having nothing of interest and not worth climbing…"

"So I must ignore similar alerts?"

"Yes. Warn me only if you see them bring weapons or odd equipment: that could pose a danger. But our location is not compromised. No – one has found us in 5 millennia. There is nothing linking with the Cyber World here… All of the Navis are warped to a distance from here in a spot where they cannot be seen and then enter the Cyber World." "XY" explained to him.

"I understand."

"Do not feel ashamed: I assigned that job to you all of a sudden and I did not explain what you were supposed to do." "XY" calmly told him as if to keep him in line.

"Roger. I shall close the line."

"Good. Later."

The line shut down and "XY" sighed: "Helios" formed an armchair to his right and "XY" bowed the head before sitting.

"I feel tired, even."

"Do not feel ashamed, XY. I ask too much of you. Maybe with one fool less the others will realize they are walking on very thin ice. If they are not blind, that is."

"I know, Master, I know. Flame Man seems to be working on a new plan so we shall see how he handles. He seemed to pour more annoyance into the warriors. Seeing how his previous "self", Fire Man, got defeated by Rock Man more than one time… His current "self" was finally brought down by King Man, though…" "XY" muttered.

"True, true. But let us focus on the present. Serenade should suffice to keep Colonel's grudge with Forte at bay yet… Maybe we could say that the original Forte's body broke down during repairs and it had to be restored from other old files… Thus the lack of past memories… We could say like he is another Forte, too…" "Helios" suggested.

"It may work, Master."

"Well. My new experiment about quantum mechanics could help prove if the so-called quantum computers are feasible… We never got that far because we saw no need for it… Our materials were good enough and why bother to design something else which could take a lot of years to develop and could be cancelled half-way?"

"Do let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

"You being here is enough help, XY. Never forget that. I have always appreciated all you have done for my sake."

"Master. Thank you, Master. It means a lot to me."

"Of course. Well then. Let us get back to work… There is much work left!"


	15. Chapter 15: The good days

**Chapter 15: The good days**

10: 12 AM (Latvia Time), Sunday July the 17th…

"… Hey. Alec. It's me. The talon ate the owl."

"And the bat ate the man."

"The bell-boy is clever."

"More like he's got dumb luck."

"OK. The passwords match: sorry for the paranoia but…"

"Don't mind it, man. Climb up."

Ernst had come to a forest somewhere and stopped near an abandoned house at the end of a gravel lane: it looked rather worn down and like no – one had lived there for years: he was looking around while standing close to a tall tree and he called out to someone.

"Alright."

He entered the house and climbed up to the first floor: he entered a bedroom which had a bed frame, a desk, a chair and an empty bookcase: the whole room was made of wood and there also was a window to the bed's right leading to a thick tree branch: he climbed into it and began to head for the upper branches.

"Hi there. Alec."

"Hey. Ernst. Welcome back. Did you bring another broadcast?"

"Yeah. It'll heat up the mood."

Ernst met with a guy around his age sitting in one branch.

The guy, Alec, was around his age: he had brown combed hair and blue eye irises.

He wore an open jean sleeveless jacket, a simple bluish t-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

"What happened with that "XY" guy, anyway?"

"We still dunno his face or where he came from: but the Prince doesn't seem to care as long as we show those fools what stuff we're made of, anyway."

"Good enough. Let's begin."

"OK."

"Welcome to a new edition of "Court Witness"! "Let's see~… The call buttons for Mortadelo & Filemón… Aha! Here they are."… "H-here we are, Mr. Super!"… "By the way… Couldn't you go back to the yell method to call for us? This system is starting to annoy us!" … They are electrical pegs clipped to their noses!"

"Really…" Alec laughed.

"Hmpf…"

"… "Let's get down to business! I summoned you because today's… JUDGMENT DAY!"… "Come on, Mr. Super! Early morning and you're already drunk?"… "Judgment Day… Heh, heh! Here you have, Boss, get elegant because ya know your place!"… M disguises as angel and offers F a devil disguise with the trident! Mr. Super then stabs the trident in the wall and catches their necks in the gaps! "I meant that it's the judgment day for the terrorist of the "Evening Howl", you sons of a coyote! You'll be in charge of bringing the accused parties from the prison to the court where our witness, bell-boy Sacarino is waiting… The garage guys will give you a prison transport… Go! And careful! If the guy escapes!"… "Prison transport, they call this? GRFTJX!"… It's a bike with an attached cage! … "Don't complain, man! I was so happy when they offered me a "reaction" vehicle and…!"… Another agent is riding an old donkey and has to inject vitamins into it!"

"The "TIA" transportation is always SO crappy." Alec chuckled.

"Yeah. Guess the money ends up in the big fishes' pockets."

"… "Hey! You! Get on the move! They've come to fetch you to bring you to court!"… "Man! At last! I was fed up with this tight room that… What? No! No~!"… "Shaddup and get inside! 10 minutes and we get to the court!"…"

"There'll be trouble along the way?" Alec wondered.

"Knowing those 2…"

"… "Ow! Use a paved road, you brutes! OW!"… "Well. Here we are."… "Hi! We bring that guy to be judged out of terrorist acts."… "Very funny! And what did they do? Fill the Health Minister with fleas?"… "What nonsense is that, man? This guy places bombs and… AH!"… "Devil! Escape and mockery, Boss!"… The box is missing and there's a dog on its place!"

"Ah! Hence the guard's comments."

"… "Hurry it up! Remember what Mr. Super said he'd do!"… "Yeah. I'm afraid you'll have to tie the lace in the left ear! Look: the missing box segment! The villain gotta be behind this wall!"… "Let's chase: one must get to their fours for the other to climb!"… "Yeah!"… Both suddenly get ready to jump! PTAF! "Well! Why do you always need to be the "one" and I gotta be the "other"?"… "HOP! I'm in!"… "Be careful not to get inside of the wolf's mouth! Luckily I had the wall-climbing disguise… Devil! It ain't the wolf's mouth but…"… "OW! Of course! This is the Zoo perimeter! Make it open its mouth! And how? With a can opener?"… "With a strong stomp into the finger, you moron!"… "Well. If you say so… Take this!"… "OUWA~H! YOU IDIOT! In the _alligator_'s finger!"… "Ah! Well! You should've told me earlier! Luckily I had the stomping disguise! Heh, heh!"… TCHOMP! "GROUA~H!"… "Quick! Jump the fence before it comes back for more!"… "Y-yeah! Here I go!"… "A~H!"…"

"More trouble."

"As if there wasn't enough." Ernst snickered.

"…. "Man! Boss! I man the fence leading to the visitor area: you go from mouth to mouth like the Caroline gal and her affairs!"… "OW! Get me outta here~!"… "Of course: if I try to crush the finger end up like a soaked codfish… Got an idea! Ready, Boss! Get ready to get out!"… M stuffs a dynamite cartridge in the mouth! BANG! "Man! What did ya want? Get you out with a cork opener? Get shaved with a burner! Look! There's a zoo guard! We'll ask of him… Hey! Have you seen a fellow with horizontal stripped clothing?"… "Yeah! Went out through this emergency exit!"…"

"Suspicious." Alec laughed.

"Truly."

"… "There I go, Boss!"… "Where have I seen that face? Where? Ah! The culprit! It's the culprit! Hey! Mortadelo! That guy's not a zoo guard!"…"And this wasn't the emergency exit either!"… A snake had coiled around M's body! "Luckily I'm so good at sailor knots like the Government imposing taxes!"… "Bell-boy! But… What the heck are you doing here?"… "Hey, dude! Gotta go to court to testify and since the Zoo was on the way…"… "The culprit's loose! Come! Quick! Hide there while we locate him!"… "IA~H!"… "Ameroupe Brown Bear"… "_Thank you very much, sir_!"… "Yeah, I insist! 5000 Z fine! Feeding the animals is forbidden!"… M knocked out the bear with a cudgel and grabbed Sacarino by the neck! "Man! You're so _good_ at protecting the kid, Boss!"… PLATCH! "M-man, the ice cream ball had to fall… Down your nape…"… "Don't do it, Mortadelo! You mad? We gotta protect him!"… "Let go, Boss! Let go! I've got the right to!"… "Girls! To the living room! Lunch's come!"… "Tanganika Wild Panthers"…"

"Man. M wanted to throw the bell-boy to the panthers!"

"Reversal of roles!" Ernst laughed.

"… "How lucky! The big-headed bell-boy is also here! It's time to get rid of the kid! Heh, heh!"… The culprit picks a fish from a pool: Caribbean poison swordfish! "Take this! Impossible to miss such a huge head!"… "Next time you must be more careful with the ice-creams!"… "Yeah, dude… I lower my head in shame and…"… TCHACH! The swordfish pierces through their noses from the side! They then chase the kid with a scythe out of annoyance! "Lower the head… Lower the head… I'm gonna lower your guts, you hyena!"… "Leave me alone, dudes! Get the hole plugged with a cactus!"… "Honestly… Maybe I should allow them to… They do have the mood to go for it, yeah!"… "Sheesh! Stay quiet here while we search for the culprit!"… They hide the kid inside of a pelican! "Well. I'd say this isn't an Aguinaga eel…"… "The swordfish thing had to be the culprit! Let's go search!"… "They're insisting on meddling with me… Take this!"… He frees a lion next!"

"Lion, eh?"

"It's gotta be a fierce one!"

"… "I don't see the guy… And you, Mortadelo? Do you see anything? Maybe it'd better to climb a tree and better scout out…"… M spots the lion behind him and jumps up the tree! "Wait! I think he's on the monkey cage! Let's go! There, there! And shave! You've got a lot of… of… of…"… He'd unconsciously gripped the lion's nose! "UA~H!"… "GRRR! GROA~R! GRRARGN!"… "O~W!"… "But, Boss… Get the leg outta the mouth! Remember: no feeding the animals!"… M disguises as a pig and sits in a spot in front of the lion! "Here, here~!"… "OW! OW! O~W!"… SPAT! "County ham! Heh, heh! Better dish: that felt like a thin worm!"… CRUNCH! It turns out M had disguised to hide a fountain so the lion met it head-on!"

"Not bad."

"At all."

"… "Heh, heh! The fountain trick never fails!"… "T-that was a true dirty trick… GLGLGL!"… "My leg! Ow! It's all broken! Find something to splint it!"… "OK, Boss!"… He brings a big and wraps the beak around the leg while F curses! "Well. It's temporary. First thing I found."… "OK, kid, get out! I think the culprit's left!"… "Man! My bag's deformed and I could even carry potatoes!"… "Yeah, Boss, he's left but… Before that he's opened all cages' doors!"… "AH! Devil! Run! RU~N!"… "Whatddya think I'm doing? _Yoga_? A~H!"… "Ah! You back? I hope your mission didn't end up like always, with some _animalada _(vandalism), right?"… "Well, see, Mr. Super, speaking of animals…!"… "KSSS!"… "OURFG!"… "PWE~T!"… "GRRR!"… "MU~H!"… A gorilla, a snake, a rhinoceros, an elephant, a tiger and a bull run into the office!"

"Man! What a joke!" Alec laughed.

"… "Huge Accident in the "TIA"! The Superintendent ends up bitten, trumpet-crushed, kicked, horn-attacked, scratched, squeezed, munched, pinched and twisted! All at the same time. After an emergency first aid consisting of gluing and building him back he runs off the hospital"…!"

"Man. That's some deal." Alec whistled.

"… "Letting the culprit escape! And bringing the whole animal lot to my office! The nut massage with stainless penknife I'm going to carry out into you!"… "Don't walk so much, man! It's no good for your health!"… "Let him walk, Boss! Get bandaged with 7-sized barbed wire~!"… Thus ends Chapter 4! Next! Teaser for Chapter 5: security, backfire and madness! So! With this… V!"

"B!"

"N!"

"VBN! Off Air!"

"So only 2 chapters left, eh?" Alec chuckled.

"Yeah… Anyway… Did anyone poke their nose here?"

"Apart from a reporter who thought that you were the leader of some revolution movement… No."

"Sheesh. Some dumb idiot who mixed up facts, huh? And then they say news make everything clear as water." Ernst sighed.

"I know. But the village has gone through a great change in this one year since you got rid of the tyrant… The oppressive air is gone and people now feel more light-hearted: they meet again and all as they'd always done and no – one gives a crap for what happened to the tyrant: they got it coming, anyway." Alec explained.

"Well. I'm glad to see that it contributed. But despite that… And despite having found a new father in Mr. Simonov, the church gardener… I still feel like I don't belong here… This house feels like another world altogether…" Ernst muttered while looking elsewhere.

"Ernst… Be strong, man. It's all thanks to you."

"Yeah. But it's also thanks to "Shunoros" for giving me the means to accomplish that. And I did the right thing. A trial? What for? It'd be a show trial: there's a lot of corruption. The Fatman would've interfered too."

"The Fatman, huh… That bastard that actually escaped to Japan only to kidnap and rape a guy out of caprice…"

"Yeah. I happen to know the guy. It took some insistence from the Prince to help the guy recover from the sequels but it paid off. Now the whole gang has crumbled to dust and the rumors we've spread plus the sabotage make it almost impossible for anyone to try to start up another gang like that…" Ernst shrugged.

"GANG! Galactic Athletic Nordic Gas!" Alec improvised seemingly to cheer up Ernst.

"Heh. Not bad."

"Let the GNAG hit the GANG!"

"Why not…" He smirked.

"By the way: now I've remembered… I found a letter here the other day and it was rather odd… Here you have…"

Alec took out an envelope from his jeans' pocket and handed it to Ernst who took out a letter from the inside.

"It's in Latvian, yeah… "Foreigner's mark… Red mark… The one who rules it all with anger… Foreigner's mark… Blue mark… The one who decays within the aloofness…" … Why do I feel like this is a prank committed by one of the trio?" He grumbled.

"But… Do they know this place?"

"They could've snooped into my PET when I was on the toilet." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Man. They never know when to quit, do they?"

"No! They need another punishment."

"Hard to believe they don't know how to behave. It's like my class: whenever we go to the pool building… They begin to constantly slam the changing rooms' doors and the teacher gets annoyed: as a result our play-time after the pool class is cut down by 50%."

"If they can't do something so basic… I've also heard that some think it's funny to not to flush the toilet in purpose and force the one who comes after you to flush it for you. Really. What a lack of basic manners: I can't find where the fun on it is." Ernst grumbled.

"People are losing their manners: and we'll see how funny the others will find it if they do it at their work-place."

"I know. Oh well. I'll report this: trying to make fun of my most intimate place is not something I'll tolerate. Hello? Prince?" He mumbled before opening a line.

"Ernst. Did something happen?" Kuroban asked back.

"Those 3… Where are they?"

"They just came back. Did they do something?" Kuroban seemingly suspected so.

"Place a silly letter on my house's entrance… And defiling this intimate spot of mine… I suspect they snooped into my PET, too." He listed with obvious annoyance.

"Thought as much: nothing good can come out of that lot. I'll have to keep them grounded and force them to use sub-PETs… But since it's already evening here… I'll do it tomorrow." Kuroban fumed.

"Sorry for the bother, Prince."

"Don't worry, Ernst. You're an example of a mature man and it is shame those others can't do the same… Well. Kisei and Umisama can properly behave from time to time too… Maybe this will tell the other 2 occasional troublemakers to properly behave."

"Roger, sir."

"By the High One!" He grumbled with a marked foreign accent.

The call ended and Ernst pocketed the PET while rolling his eyes: he fumed and seemed to be trying to vent off his bad mood.

"Eh… Ernst?"

"Huh? Yeah. What?"

"Do you know something about the status of the Pokémon TV series? How far have they come in Japan?"

"Oh. That. Well… Let me check Bulbapedia… Best Wishes 088… "Sommelier Detective Dent! The mystery of the missing Kumasyun!"… The overseas name is "Cubchoo"…"

"Oh yeah. That small polar bear-like PKMN… And Dent was the green-haired Gym Leader, right?"

"Right."

"How many badges does the main character have by now?" Alec asked of him.

"Hmmm… He's already got the 8 of them. Last one was 4 episodes ago against that new Poison – Type Gym Leader, Homika… So I guess that there'll be some more stuff before the League… Maybe they'll drag on until next year, even…" He read.

"Oho. I think that the pacing for the Gyms was extremely fast in this season… Wasn't it?"

"Yeah. One of the fastest. Guess the excessive gap between 2 of the Gyms in the DP season generated a lot of annoyance…"

"How about we go have a walk and get close to the village? We won't come in, obviously enough." Alec suggested.

"Fine. I needed something to vent off this annoyance."

They climbed down and headed down the path until they reached the forest's outskirts and saw the beginning of the village ahead of them: they then began to circle the village and look out from the forest: they eventually reached a small church with its graveyard and a small garden on the rear side.

"Father must be out: the door is locked."

"Yeah. Since your father is the church's vicar…"

"Let's get to the pond."

"Yeah. Guess there isn't anyone today. Else I'd already heard the noise of people gathering there." Ernst agreed on it.

They headed down a path and reached a small lake with two or three wooden docks built there: they walked until the edge of one of them and Ernst sat down on the edge along with Alec.

"The lake… I remember how I used to come to fish from time to time: since it's fed by a river tributary then fish come in from time to time as well… Mom, me, you, your father… Until it happened… Will I ever recover my genuine happiness which I had back then…? Or will I need to pretend to have it…?" He wondered.

"Ernst…"

"I know. I've been postponing it because I didn't feel ready to yet but I must do it: I must find something to make me feel alive… Something which can motivate me… And something which brings forth happiness… Maybe I should have a chat with your father one day…" Ernst sighed and tried to cheer up a bit.

"I know. By the way… 7 and a half feathered Beijing ducks!"

"What's that? It's so… silly!" He began to laugh.

"One of the pals at my class made it up. You gotta admit that it's got some slight originality to it, eh?"

"Sure thing… Wait when I tell the others… It'll soon become trending topic in Twitter at this rate… 7 and a half… feathered… Beijing… ducks! Why "and a half"? It's missing the wings?" Ernst laughed.

"Guess that it's half-blooded. Like Snape."

"Oho. Snape's ugliness gotta be the reason too. Hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Sure. I'm Ugly Duck! Snape is to blame! I'll make _panes_ of the guy!"

"And says he'll make _breads_ out of the guy! Now that's a good joke! Snape He Who Became Breads For Beijing Ducks! Nyah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

22:22 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huff. What a scolding _aibou_ gave me this time. And tomorrow I gotta relinquish my PET before being sent to the mainland… I guess it _was_ a bad idea to piss off Ernst like that but since I thought he'd think that that note was sent by that "XY" guy…"

"Flame Rings!"

"Speaking of the devil… A BBQ neophyte showed up."

"BBQ neophyte~? The great me~?"

"Well. Why not."

"Yikes! Lord XY…!"

"So cha have some humor! At last! I was fed up with these straight and dull guys: cursed by Dully – chan!"

"Laser Man? Oh yes. I do agree that he is incredibly dull… and thick-headed as well. I was never the type who likes to pretend. Let us be honest with each other, Gray Thunderbolt…"

"Sure thin', _Danna_… I'm in the mood! Oi! Flame Man! Did they hire ya for the next _Jurassic Park_ film?"

"W-what?"

"Why not…"

"Yikes!"

Gray Thunderbolt had been jumping across the Reverse Internet while mumbling under his breath and sighing in defeat: Flame Man showed up from above and landing before shooting two large-sized rings surrounded by blackish flames: he gracefully dodged and formed a smirk as he came up with a taunting nickname for Flame Man: surprisingly enough "XY" seemed to like the irony and sounded somewhat amused, even.

"I was fed up with these idiocies. I needed to vent off my anger."

"Then tell this fellow to vomit anger flames."

"Why not… Do you have anger flames? Citizen."

"Huh! Eh… T-that's… Huh… I don't have, my Lord!" He had to admit.

"Oh well. I thought as much, anyway."

"Let's go, BBQ neophyte~! Heavenly Thunderbolt!"

Gray Thunderbolt formed a gray sphere of energy and flung it at the air where it began to hover and move while occasionally dropping a thunderbolt in a random spot.

"Hmpf! Fire Breath!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Plasma Gun X!"

Flame Man shot a stream of flames and Gray Thunderbolt dodged by jumping into the air: he then drew a gun with a built-in glass spheroid to display how a mass of energy was building on its chamber: he then focused it on a spear which existed instead of the barrel and shot 8 streaks of electricity at Flame Man thus hitting him from 8 different spots: he growled and forgot to dodge the incoming thunderbolt: Flame Man then generated 32 candles which turned green and created his "invincible" aura around him.

"I'm invincible~! Before you can take those out I'll have baked you _a la _BBQ! I'm not a neophyte, I'm a master!" He roared.

"Oho. Dino – chan wants to play with cheat codes?"

"So it would seem." "XY" calmly muttered.

"Yikes!"

"Do continue as you were."

"R-roger! Flame Tornado!"

A tornado made up of blackish flames formed around Flame Man and began to suck air in: Gray Thunderbolt merely aimed both arms forward and began to make electricity travel down their length: he formed a mass of electricity which he aimed towards the candles.

"Gemi… I mean! Gray Thunder!" He began to say another name but corrected himself.

"Oh?" "XY" seemed to have been picked.

The blast of electricity shot through the floor and deleted the whole of the candles: Flame Man gasped but didn't lose focus and suddenly formed 8 clones of the tornado which headed for Gray Thunderbolt: he merely flipped and aimed both forearms forward.

"Rocket Knuckle!"

The forearms' armor detached and shot forward using built-in propellers: they began to frizzle with electricity and managed to make it through the tornado and impact both front knees: electricity assaulted Flame Man and then Gray Thunderbolt drew two Elec Sword which he stabbed into the body from above and behind: Flame Man's lack of concentration made his tornado dissolve while Gray Thunderbolt chuckled.

"Are ya seein' this, _aniki_~? I'm beatin' big bullies now! I wonder if the guy has finally drawn out some GUTS." He muttered under his breath while chuckling.

"What was that?" Flame Man grumbled.

"Nothing. Guess it's time for your beatin' up."

"Grrr! Flame Prism! Form of… Hexagon!"

A hexagonal prism made up of blackish flames formed around Flame Man and Gray Thunderbolt jumped away while seemingly examining the situation and trying to find a weakness.

"Water won't put them out!" Flame Man exclaimed.

"I didn't need water to put out your candles! Dino – chan. Hinoken didn't tell ya that ya needn't water to beat flames? Ground and rock also can do that, like in PKMN!"

"Grrrr! I hate it when they have to correct me! And Hinoken should've told me, yeah! Guess the guy didn't know it!"

"Sure! He failed his high school entrance exam 'cause he didn't know that you can put out a fire with sand!"

"That would not surprise me. Such men tend to be illiterate. They use muscle instead of brain." "XY" muttered with some irony.

"T-that is why I am thankful to Lord XY, because…!" He tried to improve something but got cut.

"I did free you of his control yet… You have to improve. Loopholes do not work on me. And I am not fond of them. Either."

"Yikes!"

"Dino – chan! Bite my shiny arms!"

"You rascal!"

"I'm shinier than a different-colored PKMN!" Gray Thunderbolt pulled down his right eye's lower skin and stuck out his tongue.

"W-wha~t?"

"Behold! Your worst nightmare! The reviewer!"

"How's that supposed to be my worst nightmare to begin with?" Flame Man growled back.

"Dunno. Ask someone and no – one."

"I'm starting to get annoyed FOR REAL!"

"About time, Dino – chan."

"Flame Roller!"

Flame Man formed cylinders of identical length surrounded by flames and sent them rolling down the slight hill towards Gray Thunderbolt but he simply timed each jump and whistled the tune of _Mario_: a twitch formed over Flame Man's right eye.

"I jump and bump like a pump!"

"What a stupid rhyme!"

"Beware! The advent of doom… The advent of… Non Might Man!" He laughed at his poorly improvised joke.

"W-what the hell is that?"

"It might be you. Citizen." "XY" calmly pointed out.

"Yikes!"

"I would rather say it is a way of telling you that you are not mighty like you would like to believe. And like I have been telling you all for weeks, too…" "XY" icily warned.

"R-roger!"

"Heh, heh, heh! Roger beats Gorer to it! Gorer The Jumper! Only for Nintendo 3DS! Capcom's newest hit! Which will beat _Biohazard_! And break records!" He laughed.

"That's so stupid." Flame Man groaned.

"Ya never know, Mr. Anderson. It might be so BRILLIANT."

"Grrr! Flame Ball!"

Flame Man suddenly retracted his legs and transformed into a ball of black flames which flung forward: Gray Thunderbolt was still laughing and didn't see it coming so he got hit head-on and the blow (because he was in mid-air) did send him down into the bowels of the area while roaring and trying to put out the flames burning away his bodysuit's skin.

"Shit! Earthquake 3! Geyser!"

Flame Man had landed on the edge to look down but failed to see the Earthquake Virus dropping atop him and crushing him underneath it: he howled and got warped out via the "Jet – Black Phoenix" while Gray Thunderbolt landed on solid ground and managed to put out the flames with the Geyser Battle Chip: he growled.

"Fine. No more joking. Next time I'll beat 'em to a pulp: like I did with that moron on the garbage dump years ago… I'll go back and I gotta fix my bodysuit. What an evening, man! Hika… Aaron will be back! HMPF!"

22:54 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Really… Enzan. You've got some fetishes too, eh?"

"Yeah. I didn't tell Blues because I didn't want to scandalize the guy: he's so nitpicking…"

"Heh. You don't have enough with having turned Blues into your sex partner you want to have it with me too, eh?"

"Meh! I like to alter. I'm dynamic. Like an IP address."

"Not bad."

Legato and Enzan were having sex in one of _Purgatory'_s bedrooms (Kage's, from the looks of it): Enzan had been tied with some rope forming a pattern across his body and riding on Legato's cock while they were chatting in an amused manner.

The rope began in the shoulders and formed a knot when they both crossed: it then spread to form a couple of diamonds before splitting and passing around the in-between to then climb up the back: the ropes in the back formed an "X" shape and four extensions of ropes coming from the side-vertexes of each diamond joined each of the four ropes there.

His wrists were tied with rope and so were his arms below the shoulders, above the ankles and below them.

His legs had been spread by a metallic bar connected to cuffs on his ankles and they were also bent because two sets of ropes kept them in that shape.

He also had a thick leather collar on his neck with a small metallic ring in the front: a chain had been attached there and Legato held it on his right hand.

Enzan also had a black wool blindfold on.

Other stuff included anal beads on his ass and an urethra vibrator: his nipples had thin strings tied into them to harden them and a couple of metallic pegs with small weights on them had been clipped there.

"You like it _hardcore_, huh?"

"Sure thing. It's thrilling… when you want it to be, though."

"I know. I'm not trying to make fun of S&M rape: we've had too many cases in these 2 years."

"You needn't tell me. First it was that Plant Man lunatic raping Rock Man, then one skinny Latvian doing that to Junior: the skinny was in a rush and was lame so there weren't important consequences: but then the Fatman showed up and we know what happened." Enzan grumbled.

"Well. We also "invited" you to ride the horse with Junior but that was more like a joke… You'd already had sex with Laika…" Legato admitted with a slight sigh.

"Laika! Yeah. The smug guy. Treated me like a plush: when he began to grow too "attached" he tossed me like I was a broken suit." Enzan groaned aloud.

"And don't forget that YOU tried to incite Junior to have sex with you on the _Scherezade Symphony_."

"I know. I was still contaminated by Laika's behavior. But then the accident happened and I wouldn't force him to do it when he had been shot in the right arm." He admitted.

"By the way: does _ani-ue-sama_ suspect this?"

"Guess that but he knows that he must respect my decisions: that bit of previous programming comes in handy."

"Guess that, yeah!"

"Anyway. Is that tale about "XY" being a solo Navi true?"

"Yeah. The guy invited Rock Man over to his turf and told him." Legato confirmed.

"Alright. Fuck me some more."

"Sure thing."

Legato gripped Enzan's sides and began to move him up and down along the length of his cock: Enzan seemed to like the feeling and was chuckling under his breath.

"Yeah… This feeling… I like it!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Your ass likes taking stuff up it: guess Laika's to blame for that, eh, Enzan?"

"Sure… At least we can keep the guy holed up there… The guy's buddy is on a national mission and it'd seem he ain't coming this time around. But Superintendent Oda's moods are as mad as ever." Enzan sighed.

"Guess that."

"Do you think I've still got a chance to shine?"

"Sure. Those rascals will be coming out one after the other to begin with so it's matter of having luck." Legato encouraged.

"Good! I don't want to be left behind."

"Don't worry. The other Navis have enough with busting simulated enemies and such. It'd seem my cute lover is training because he aims to give a lesson to one of those punks. Oh yeah. And his girlfriend is training too to give a lesson to small fry who underestimate her."

"Oh come on. You know that Senior's pink friend isn't his girlfriend: they're just companions." Enzan laughed.

"For the time being." He smirked.

"So you think that there'll be some _classical_ romance?"

"Maybe in some time. Maybe time will tell. One thing is clear: Ookarada won't be the lucky man."

"Of course not. The guy's under punishment, I heard…"

"It was necessary! The fuss the guy was starting…" Legato sighed.

"I know. Oh well. Once you go off I'll give you a blowjob. I miss one of those, see." Enzan grinned.

"Oho. Sure thing. And in the meanwhile… A dildo here will be eager to tickle your ass."

"I'll be waiting for it."

"Right now!"

Legato suddenly released inside of Enzan and chuckled: he then detached him and placed him face-down into the bed as he fetched a black dildo with dots arranged on its surface: he turned it on and stuffed it into Enzan who gasped: Legato then pulled the chain and Enzan dragged his legs across the bed and then lowered his head when in front of Legato's cock: he began to smell it and rub it with the nose before using his lips to pull the foreskin down: he took it up his mouth and Legato chuckled as he placed his hand behind the head to set the pace.

"Yeah… I missed one of these, too… Go ahead, Enzan… Make a good blowjob… Heh, heh, heh."

He whistled a tune as he let Enzan set the pace: he picked a remote and suddenly increased the speed of the anal dildo: Enzan shivered and seemed to feel a new sensation altogether: Legato chuckled and rubbed Enzan's chin from below using the left hand.

"I'm teasing ya~… Enzan… Heh, heh, heh. Summer is the season of intense sex, eh? Heh, heh, heh."

He leant back on the bed and chuckled as he experienced how Enzan was sucking on his cock: he grinned and released thus filling Enzan's mouth with the stuff: he let Enzan take it off the mouth.

"Heh. It felt fun… And this vibrator is making me feel SO good… Why don't you tease me with something else?"

"Maybe… Like this?"

Legato had Enzan lie face-up on the bed and began to pull the clothes pegs: Enzan shuddered and then formed a grin before starting to moan when Legato began to twist them.

"Like this! Like this! These shivers of pleasure! I can't have enough!"

"You can be quite a masochist when you feel like it, eh, Enzan? How about these? You want some leveling up?"

"You needn't ask."

"Alright."

Legato drew a candle and turned it on with a lighter to then drop some wax on the nipples: he then began to drop it along the cock's length and into the balls: Enzan kept on moaning.

"Man! This heat! It makes me feel ALIVE!"

"A-LIVE! Actually _live_!"

"Heh! Not bad."

"Guess that _yaoi_'s fun is in having a chat in the meanwhile, huh?" Legato commented.

"Yeah. And despite what they usually say… Our stuff began _before_ high school. Heh, heh, heh."

"Yeah. Ironies of life~… Life a live!"

"Not bad either. Irony an iron!"

"We could suggest them to the trio: they'd love to post them in the blog and make them become popular punch-lines."

"Why not? I wanna release already."

"OK!"

Legato unfastened the vibrator's collar and pulled it up: Enzan's cock bulged and then let out some spurts of the white stuff which scattered across Enzan's chest: Legato licked some and then began to kiss him before pulling the blankets over them.

"I'm taking out the dildo… And I'm going in again! Enzan!"

"Bring it on!"

Both laughed as they continued to have sex under the blankets…


	16. Chapter 16: Visitors

**Chapter 16: Visitors**

09:41 AM (Japan Time), Monday July the 18th…

"… Heh, heh, heh. So you felt lonely? Hikawa – kun."

"Y-yeah, Kuroshiro – kun… And I thought that…"

"You're always welcome."

"I thought Netto – kun would be here…"

"Ah. Yes. I know. But he wanted to train at Saito's insistence: they want to be ready if they need to fight one of those guys."

"O-of course… It feels odd to do it here, in this…"

"Indoor _onsen_? I know. I had to alter the mix or else the vapors can trigger your lust: it almost turned into an orgy last time around."

"Whoa."

"Do you like how it feels like? It's fun to do it like this: with our wrists cuffed and being unable to use our hands…"

"Y-yeah… Guess Urateido's "training" did leave sequels on me… But before that you also brought me here to have sex!"

"I know. We wanted to allow you to discover how fun it was."

Kuroshiro and Hikawa were having their round of sex inside of the indoor pool with Hikawa sitting on Kuroshiro's lap and riding along his cock: both had cuffs on their wrists and their arms behind their bodies: Kuroshiro was sitting in the shallow SW corner and was licking Hikawa's back to tease him in the meanwhile.

"Wanna hear some madness?"

"You programmed the PET to auto-play the broadcast?" Hikawa rolled his eyes as if knowing the answer.

"Elemental, my dear Hikawa – kun. Cutie."

"E~h!" He blushed.

"Heh, heh, heh."

"Please! Don't call me that! I'm a guy, you know!"

"Guys can be cute too. Or horny, if you prefer a mature word." Kuroshiro teased with a giggle.

"Huff. Alright. Let's settle it at that."

"Welcome to V!"

"B!"

"N!"

"Today! Chapter 5 of "Court Witness"! Begin! F walks into a room and sees M sitting on a chair and lazily leaning it backwards to look out through a window! "Mortadelo! Stop irradiating your bald head with sunlight and move it: Mr. Super's calling? I'm telling you to move it, you moron! You deaf or what?"… PLOC! He hits him with the right shoe but it turns out it's a brute-looking guy! "Boss! Did ya see? My buddy Adoquínez, the free fighting champion, came! They call 'im "deaf" 'cause, when he worked in the mine, he bet that he could hold a TNT cartridge on the ear during a minute, his clock stopped and… Boss! What happened? Did you come in the underground? Well, son! If you get angry out of being asked… What would you do if I clambered ya?"… "Shaddup! Walk! Mr. Super's calling for us!"… "Devil! See! The bell-boy guy's in the hall!"… "And alone: the culprit could come finish him off!"… "Oh no! He's just below the protective bell chamber! Aha! If someone was coming then we've halted their feet and…"… BLANG! "UA~H!"… "M-Mr. Super!"…"

"Huff. So F got beaten by the fighter because he mistook him for M and then he beats M for not warning him. And when they lower the bell thing it seemingly crushes Mr. Super's feet… Right?" Hikawa sighed and seemed to picture what the deal was about.

"Guess that, my cute little guest."

"Oh come on." He groaned.

"Don't you like teasers?"

"To some extent."

"How about this?"

Kuroshiro began to eagerly kiss and suck his skin behind the neck and Hikawa moaned from the feeling: his cock got hard along the way and he blushed while Kuroshiro giggled.

"… "We've halted their feet"… GRFTJX! Wait there, wait! I'll halt your vital signs!"… "Hold back your ancestral and primitive impulses, man! Go stop the Niagara Falls!"… "I called you over because I'm going to charge my best 2 agents to chase the terrorist of the "Evening Howl" and 2 dogs to protect the bell-boy!"… "Thanks for the praise!"… "And the dogs? You've got 'em?"… Uncomfortable silence! "Woof, woof!"… "Wow, wow!"… "Done, Mr. Super! I found a way to stop anyone from entering the room where the bell-boy is at!"… "What's it about? Some electronic alarm? A remote-triggered detonator? An alligator pit?"… "Oh no! I placed this banner!"… Treasury: tax collection… "Well, well, ya don't like I can place one that says "Seminary for new vocations"! What do ya…? GNOUF!"…"

"Guess he found the idea to be lazy and stupid."

"Guess that: do you masturbate?"

"E~H! How did you know that?" He blushed.

"Come on! It's common sense. Any boy at our age does it. Do you dream of Netto – kun's captivating eyes?" He giggled.

"W-well, I… T-that's… Hum… Whoa!"

He suddenly released and stained his navel area: his insides tightened around Kuroshiro's cock and he released as well: Kuroshiro giggled while Hikawa panted.

"Gotcha."

"Not another trap…!" He groaned.

"Trap Man's been busy."

"I give up."

"… "Solved, Mr. Super! Even if they try to use a blunt weapon to finish him off there's nothing to be feared!"… "You sure of it? Let's see! What'd happen if I bring a knife and…?"… "That's it! An electro-magnet set on the ceiling leaves you without knife just like how a pebble in the rice leaves you sans teeth! Once we get the culprit we only need to switch off the device and… and… and…"… TCHAC! "Man! Don't get annoyed! What if you'd bought a Malayan scimitar instead? You'd have to use the left ear to smell!"… "Fine. But if they shoot from the outside…"… "Thought of it: I installed a super-transparent bullet-proof door glass! If they shoot the bullet bounces off and done! Heh, heh! You surely didn't get it to cross your head!"… "No! It crossed my nose! From side to side!"… "Man! I'm not to blame that you stick out your nose everywhere! Sheesh!"…!"

"I admit that the counter-measures are good but they're no good if they shoot back at you…" Hikawa muttered.

"How about you penetrate my rosy ass, cutie? It's waiting for that rod of yours, see~…" Kuroshiro invited with a whisper.

"Fine." He sighed and rolled his eyes.

He got to stand straight up while Kuroshiro stood up too: Hikawa sat on his post and Kuroshiro lowered himself in Hikawa's cock while facing forward: he quickly captured his lips in a passionate kiss while he rubbed the cock against the navel area.

"… "Relax, Mr. Super! If Mortadelo's devices fail then I gave the bell-boy that shotgun for self-defense!"… "Hum! Does it work? Hand it over!"… BANG! "W-well… You obviously had to take off the anti-bug plug firstly, see~! GGJJJJ!"… "You're generating a bad habit, Boss! Tell him to use a case… Think what'd happen if he had to store a cannon! Well, I can see what happens… Try to give advice ya lose your life!"… "Didn't you think that the culprit might be lurking in a corner, like a cat, waiting for the kid when he goes out to have a walk?"… "Oh no! Relax! He knows that he must jump the corridor tiles in twos." … "What nonsense is that? It won't protect him from an attack!"… "Yes, yes! It will! Trick is that the others have mines underneath and…!"… BOOM! "See, see? You stepped into one that… Step into the navel, man! It ain't my fault!"…"

Both guys stopped kissing and Hikawa kissed while Kuroshiro began to lick his neck area and upper chest area.

"Man. Mr. Super ends up in the receiving end of the traps: talk about inefficient traps."

"Sure! Zero told me he found a trap recently ago which was a fish net colored black set in the middle of a white room: the guys who set it were seemingly hoping to fish someone with it but didn't realize it was SO obvious… We used it to fish them instead!"

"Man. Worse than Bubble Man, even. Or Yaito – chan."

"I mailed her father so he should be imposing some order."

"About damned time, truly."

"… "Finally, Mr. Super! No one can come close to the kid anymore! I found the de-fi-ni-ti-ve solution!"… "I must see it! I'm going to get close and try it out!"… "D-don't, Mr. Super! It is super-sliding wax that…!"… "This guy's always on a rush… Why is he so fat, then?"… CRASH! "M-Mr. Super! Are you alright?"… "Well. Maybe he fell down 17 floors planning in the air!"… "Damned… GRFJTX! Luckily I could hold on!"… "What's wrong with that window? There's air current! We're trying to protect the kid from an attack and will end up catch pneumonia! Closed window: no bacteria are gonna come in!"… "OUA~H!"… "D-did you say that Mr. Super shattered it when coming out? Devil! I'm going to ground level to check if he's alright and…!"… "I'll place a trap! A villain could come in through it!"… "Brrr! Like I've come out a villain could me on… I'm going to prove it to those idiots! Aha! I said it! Brrr! I'm going to slap their faces and…!"… BLANG! Shah, shah, shah! What has happened, our dear public?"

"More trouble?" Hikawa sighed.

"More back-firing traps of traps!" Kuroshiro giggled.

"How original. Kuroshiro – kun."

"My. What dryness."

"Huff. I'm not getting into the mood."

"Moody – chan is to blame, then."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure."

"Maybe you'd want a dildo?"

Hikawa blushed and his cock seemed to harden again so Kuroshiro resumed rubbing his against Hikawa's.

"… A metallic plate moved by a spring got triggered and it hit Mr. Super in the face, knocking him down into the street! "Ah! Mr. Super! What do you think of my trap? What a peevish guy! Goes off without saying anything!"… "Hum! Mr. Super left but the hole's still here. I'll place this steel beam over it so that no idiot falls down it and…"… CLANG! "Mr. Super! Why did you return? Did you forget something? Why! It's Agent Peláez!"… "Mr. Super! I finally found you! See. I'd thought of a defense system to protect the bell-boy and I'd like you to check it out and…"… "So! A defense system to protect the bell-boy, eh? Want me to check it out, eh? Hyah, hyah, hyah!"… "B-but, Mr. Super, I think that… that…!"… "Incredible abuse of authority!"…"

"Man. So that agent had to be the receiving end of Mr. Super's accumulated hysteria and madness, huh?" Hikawa sighed.

"I'm going off!"

"Wha!"

Kuroshiro aimed his cock upwards and the stains fell around Hikawa's nipples and close to the neck: his insides tightened Hikawa's cock and he went off too: Kuroshiro giggled and detached himself.

"Let's play a game!"

"What game?"

"The "catch-you-have-sex" game!"

"W-what the hell is that?"

"I just made it up! Let's chase each other across the pool: if I can catch you then I'll have another round of anal sex with you!"

"E~h!"

"But if you catch me you can do it instead!"

"B-but…"

"Run!"

"Uwa~h!"

Hikawa began to run across the pool and swim using the legs when he reached the deeper area with Kuroshiro chasing him: Kuroshiro giggled and Hikawa grumbled under his breath.

"… "Picks a subordinate by the neck, swings him and throws him into an acorn transport truck which crossed the road and without the agent being guilty of anything: the Interpol is chasing the barbaric abuser that…"… "Man, Mr. Super, we think that you shouldn't have…"… "You shut up and finish building the igloo! Brrr! And when all's over I'll take care of you two! I'll take care of!"… So! With this… Chapter 5 came and left!"

"Shah, shah, shah! So we're only left with Chapter 6: the last one! And then the 3 short stories!"

"_Marchando_! Teaser: robots, misunderstandings and paralysis! Don't miss the last chapter of "Court Witness"! Video!"

"Yessir! V!"

"B!"

"N!"

"VBN! Off Air!"

"I'm going to play with you~… Hikawa – kun!"

"Someone stop that guy~!" Hikawa called out.

"Legato went off to train: and no one else knows we're here so we can have PLENTY~ of fun!"

"Oh come on!"

"Caught ya~! Prize~!"

"Uwah!"

Kuroshiro managed to corner Hikawa in the SE corner and began to pump his cock in and out of his ass while also licking, sucking and kissing his body from behind: that turned Hikawa on and his cock got hard while he moaned.

"N-no more… please!"

"Your honest body says otherwise~…" Kuroshiro giggled.

"Are you sure those vapors aren't affecting YOU?" He complained.

"Well. Who knows? Ask Uncle Merton's favorite nephew."

"Oh come on. Like Superintendent Oda would know."

"I set a listening device on the Net Police HQ: let's figure out if the summer heat is making them boil or not!" He whispered.

"… Hi there, my perfect detective of a thousand virtues!"

"S-superintendent Oda! Don't scare me like that, sir!" Meijin complained after apparently being startled by Oda.

"So! My smashing rock 'em all type… Did Blues turn out to be a good training partner?"

"Sure thing: why'd you ask? We always train." Punk simply replied.

"Meijin – san, I found the… Oh no." Obihiro groaned.

"Don't say anything else, Obihiro – kun! You found the location of SHIELD headquarters!" Oda laughed.

"Sheesh. Everyone knows it's in Washington DC! Anyway! Meijin – san, I found the files you were looking for regarding the new safety upgrades to the troubleshooting app…" Obihiro reported.

"Thanks."

"And then! Something frightful and dooming descended upon them!"

"Oh yes?" Meijin and Obihiro skeptically asked.

"Roaming and crashing frogs enchanted by Merlin!"

"Oh come on." They all groaned.

"Sheesh. That place is as mad as ever!" Hikawa complained.

"I can see your thoughts: you're imaging Netto – kun doing this instead of me! You'd like to share a hot night with him, right?"

"E~H? N-no! Not at all! Not at all!" He turned red.

"Heh, heh, heh. You must be jealous of me, even."

"I'm not, Kuroshiro – kun! YOU should be jealous: aren't you supposed to be his husband?" He tried to say.

"Oh I know. But we both know we need some stimulation: and you were the one who contacted me, remember?" Kuroshiro whispered.

"Sheesh. Last time I do this!"

"Time will tell, my cutie, time will tell."

"Obihiro: can you find one of those…? Oh no." Enzan began asking as he seemingly came in only to stop in his tracks and groan.

"Our excellent Hound of Densan-ville came in! You want to find one of those Ultra Rare Cards, right? Like "Chaos Soldier"!" Oda tried to deduce while laughing.

"Wrong…! I'm looking for one of those "Jet – Black Phoenix" guys: I wanna have my slice of the cake too! Right, Blues!"

"Yes, Enzan – sama. It would be troublesome if they forgot about us: they need to be reminded who their foes are." Blues argued next.

"Oho. I see. Well then. Let's spray them with purple pain: the purple shiny phoenixes!" Oda came up with a joke.

"How original." Everyone fumed.

"How intellectual." He laughed.

"Superintendent Oda: there's a young man in the roof who says he brings a message from "Uncle Moriarty's most troublesome nephew"…" A woman officer reported.

"Oho. This could be interesting."

"He says that you must come out into the roof and then shower your face with the hose."

"A challenge, eh? I never back from them! Let's go!"

He seemingly ran off while the officer sighed in relief.

"I made that up so that he showers himself and snaps out of that idiotic mood: then I've got real news of a bank robbery by some Taiwan hackers which should set him in a serious mood." She explained in a hushed tone of voice.

"Phew. Saved. Thank you, Murada – san."

"Don't mind it, Meijin – kun. I can't bear it either but if you boil your brains you'll find something predictable on him."

"Brrr! Achoo! That Eisei youngster…! He's done it!"

"Emergency! Taiwan hacking into the Teito Bank!"

"W-what! Mobilize all units!"

"Roger!"

"Meijin – kun: send Punk to the scene! Ijuuin – kun: start hunting whispers in the Reverse Internet! Obihiro – kun: examine the security level and how they got in! Move it! On the double!" Oda commanded.

"Roger!"

"Officer Murada! Let's go the bank!"

"Roger! The car's ready."

"Alright, let's leave it at there… And let's continue our game!"

"Quit it already! Kuroshiro – kun! SHEESH!"

12:51 PM (Taiwan Time)…

"… Huff, huff… I still haven't found the culprit despite this blatantly obvious amateur trail, Enzan – sama."

"How odd. Maybe the amateur trail is bait, then."

"And they're a pro? No hacker should be able to stand up to Enzan – sama's techniques, though."

"Maybe it's not your run-of-the-mill hacker…"

"One of those?"

"Maybe they wanted to challenge us."

"If it's someone we've cut before… I'll cut them up again!"

"Well said."

"Elec Whip!"

"Slow! Hrah!"

"Che. Faster than I'd thought…"

"So you lowlife are Elec Man. I've heard of you from Rock Man."

"Rock Man! So it's true: the guy was alive."

"Oh yeah? Who said he'd died? Flame Man? Bragging again, right?"

Blues had been making his way across the Taiwan Internet City and through a warehouse while reporting to Enzan: Enzan guessed they were after someone out of the usual and they were proven right when Elec Man suddenly dropped from above and tried to use a whip made of electricity to coil it around Blues' right hand but he quickly moved to the right to dodge and drew his Long Blade: Elec Man didn't look too surprised but sounded slightly annoyed at hearing what Blues said.

"Yeah. Said he'd burnt him to cinders… I should've known better: Lord XY did sound VERY annoyed at that."

"Maybe your precious Lord didn't bring him up because he quit."

"Quit, huh? Kids shouldn't get involved in adult stuff." Elec Man formed a smug grin.

"Who knows?" Enzan shrugged.

"Elec Beam!"

The Elec Beam split into 12 and headed for Blues from different directions but Blues merely dashed forward and the attacks merely hit an after-image he'd left behind: he showed up behind Elec Man and quickly tried to cut his back generators but Elec Man reacted faster than expected as well and jumped into the air to form some bombs which he dropped at the ground and produced Paralysis Panels: Blues dodged those and jumped into the air as Elec Man drew an Elec Sword colored black and clashed: they pushed each other but got nowhere so they split and landed back on the ground: Elec Man rushed for Blues while pouring further power on his sword: when they made contact 8 bolts of black lightning jumped off and hit Blues' body: he growled and Elec Man got cocky as he shot another 8 of them: he didn't notice Blues' sword starting to glow with a purple glow and transforming into the Muramasa Blade.

"Weak! You're rusted!"

"I wonder about that… Hrah!"

"Ugrowh!"

Blues formed the three-pronged Muramasa Blade and performed three cuts across Elec Man's body: he growled and stepped back as the wounds began to self-repair: Elec Man hissed.

"Shit. That blade thing…! I got cocky and you lured me into attacking you more so you could power it up…!"

"Yeah. The higher the damage… The higher the power."

"Shit. My strategy is all about delivering damage and this will only turn upon me. If this erased 1500 of my 2200 HP then I'm in deep shit already and I've barely begun."

"Starting to regret your foolishness?" Blues taunted.

"Shaddup! I'll prove that I'm better than that Flame Man mole who can only think of burning things!"

"We'll see about that."

"Hra~h! Elec Aura!"

"Super North – Wind!"

"What!"

Elec Man tried to protect himself with an Aura Battle Chip colored yellow but Blues' Battle Chip blew it off: Elec Man gasped and Blues rushed in but Elec Man warped and left a Count Bomb left behind which Blues cut into 3 pieces and it imploded: Elec Man appeared behind Blues and tried to hit his back but missed the attack because it was a projected image and the real Blues rushed in from the right side: Elec Man formed a Stone Cube as if trying to block his attacks but he easily cut through it: Elec Man began to get nervous and tried something else like turning all Panels into Crack Panels and try to force Blues into a corner but he calmly floated over the hole.

"Air Shoes plus Hover Shoes… Compressed pack in the Navi Customizer, courtesy of someone." Enzan snickered.

"Sheesh." Elec Man grumbled.

"How about you give it up?" Blues taunted.

"Not yet!"

"Stubborn. What should I do, Enzan – sama?"

"Beat them to an inch of their life."

"Acknowledged. Let's see if those auto-repair nanomachines can heal the wounds I'm about to inflict."

"Che. I've managed to heal about a third of what you did to me but these things are SLOW."

"That would be my blame. They were still under research."

"Huh! Lord XY!"

"So you rushed it up and decided to use them in real combat to gain more effective data, huh?" Enzan guessed.

"Correct. Ijuuin Enzan… Your balance between ego and honesty has been interesting to examine over the years…"

"Hum. Guess you could call it that, yeah."

"I'm not done with you yet, Blues! Elec Ball!"

Elec Man jumped into the air and began to form balls with electricity patterns inside of them which he flung at a quick speed towards Blues' position: they exploded in contact and a lot of electrical bolts popped out from them to hit Blues.

"If I can drive the guy to 1 HP…! That blade thing can't do more than 1500 damage, anyway."

"Gruh! Sonic Boom!"

"Slow! Curse Shield! Eat it back… 4 times power!"

"What!"

"Ugra~h!"

"Hah! You tricked me once but it won't work this time around! I'm going to make mincemeat of you!"

"I shall not tolerate any attempts at deletion." "XY" icily warned.

"Yikes! I mean… I'll defeat you!"

"As long as it ends up like that… Else…"

"I u-understand." He quickly replied.

"You better do. Citizen."

"So! Had enough, old-timer?" Elec Man challenged.

"You yourself are also an old-timer." "XY" got annoyed.

"Yikes!"

"Focus."

"R-roger! Huh! Where are you, Blues?"

Elec Man saw that the smoke had dispersed but Blues couldn't be spotted anywhere: he failed to spot a ghostly three-pronged Muramasa Blade flying towards him from behind and forming three cuts of different direction and depth: he roared and then Blues dropped from above while deliver yet another 3 cuts: Elec Man collapsed into the floor and groaned as he tried to move.

"W-what was t-that?"

"When I go over 3000 HP of damage… I can summon a "ghost" Muramasa to deliver an extra 1500 HP of damage… I got hit on purpose to bring out my best move." Blues let out.

"As expected of you, Blues… You have found that an enemy's greatest weakness is… their selves." "XY" muttered.

"Indeed."

"I shall be adding this information to our databases. Next time it shall depend on your opponent's "ego" whether or not they will be caught in your strategy… Good-bye."

The phenomenon ensued and Elec Man vanished from the scene: Blues calmly shrugged his shoulders.

"Good work. Blues." Serenade congratulated as he walked n.

"Serenade?" He wondered.

"I happened to be running some errands of my own. Ah yes. Do not show hostility towards Forte, will you? I am trying to make sure he does not stray from the road he walks on by now." He instructed.

"If you say so… I'll do so."

"Excellent. We shall meet again. Goodbye."

20:20 PM (Philippines Time)…

"… Sheesh. This is SO stupid. We got scolded and now we gotta try to find data in the servers of this alien city in "Kyutora"… Sieg and Urateido are in different sectors and we can only call each other every 10 minutes to compare results… _Aibou_'s being TOO strict. At least I can listen to music to switch the mood."

Gray Thunderbolt was grumbling aloud as he stood inside of a stone room somewhere and interacted with a large-sized machine which could be a computer or a similar device: many holographic screens with undecipherable glyphs on them floated in front of him and he was fumbling around with them as if trying to decode them or get something outta them.

"Hey! What an idea! I only need to select a new frequency and we'll able to freely chat without restrictions… Heh!"

He tapped his right ear and grinned.

"Hey. Guys. Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Eisei." Urateido chuckled back.

"Good idea! I was fed up with this 10 minute-interval silence." Sieg sighed in relief.

"Yeah. It's not good for the nerves. It reminds me of a novel named _Rendezvous with Rama_ in which a human expedition must explore a gigantic cylinder-shaped spacecraft which has some "cities" sprawled on its interior: it's totally unlit and eerily silent… This place reminds me too much of that place… Let's hope there aren't giant scavenger crab-shaped biots here, too…"

"Biot?" Both asked.

"Yeah. "Bio – robot"…"

"Because they have organic parts?" Sieg tried to guess.

"Speaking of which, you and I could be called as such, even."

"Why not. Cyborg is over-used. Biot sounds catchier."

"What kind of "biots", for example?"

"A surveillance device which was a slender-legged tripod... It had a ball body 'bout the size of a soccer ball… It can move very fast and silently… And it doesn't have blood or digestive system either…"

"What _does_ it have, then?" Urateido asked.

"… Eh… Let me recall… Yeah… It had 3 large inexpressive eyes which apparently allowed it to have 360 degree vision…"

"Wow."

"What else…? Oh yeah. It also had some kind of tendrils. But I think it was supposed to be short in height… The skipper said it looked like a three-legged spider."

"And how did it move?" Sieg asked.

"They theorized it had suction pads… And then they caught one which had fallen and broken its legs… From observations of the crew… Each leg in turn would act like a pivot: and the thing would whirl the body around it yet it was too fast to be properly seen… It could seemingly run at 30 kilometers per hour, too…"

"That's quite fast, yeah."

"The autopsy revealed the following: it has a simple musculature controlling the tendrils… Then there's the big brain which handles the tri-vision… But about 80% of it was made of a honeycomb of large cells which they actually serve as its source of energy… It's a moving battery… That was the only one they got to examine."

"Talk about cool."

"Yeah. I know. Well. Let's hope we don't find any scavengers: those spider things were harmless?" Urateido asked.

"Totally. They were scouts and the only thing they were designed to do was to run and to monitor. That's all."

"Fine. I'd prefer those to the scavenger crabs." Sieg replied.

"Yeah. They scavenge anything on their path because they're programmed to do that and they don't think: they're automated. There were other things like sea-stars, sharks and all… Quite the crew!"

"And what was the purpose of the Rama thing?" Urateido asked next.

"Oh yeah! It's revealed on the later books that that was but one type of spacecraft of the many an advanced scientific civilization which gathered all kinds of species with wisdom and intelligence… They'd sent it as a scout of the Solar System and to collect data on humans as they boarded it and explored it… So later on they could send another one which could collect some specimens of humans and bring them to one of their facilities outside the Solar System… There would be another two species in that second Rama too… And that same Rama 2 would be refurbished to act as a colony to transport humans to another facility… And in the meanwhile study them for a prolonged period of time… There were another two species onboard too…" Gray Thunderbolt detailed.

"Interesting. How ironic! "Advanced alien scientific civilizations" actually exist!" Sieg chuckled.

"Yeah! And… Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

Gray Thunderbolt turned around to look at the entrance of the room: he spotted a man who looked rather similar to "XY" but wore the same type of tunic "Helios" had yet his age was closer to that of "XY": he was immobile and seemed to be fixing his glare on Gray Thunderbolt.

"Who are ya? Ah! Ya gotta be "XY", huh? Ya came to laugh at our efforts of trying to decipher these databases, huh? Laugh as much as ya want: we've proven that your precious pawns are FRAIL!" He grumbled as he aimed his right hand's index finger at the guy.

The guy merely seemed to lift the eyebrows but remained quiet and silent there without their face changing: Gray Thunderbolt fumed and turned around to resume working.

"Just go and get lost. Hello, guys? No big deal. That "XY" rascal showed up to taunt us. Let's ignore the smug guy and focus: we need to bring some results to _aibou_ or else he won't get outta that annoyed mood in days: ya know the guy." He reported.

"Huff. I know, I know!" Urateido sighed.

"Man." Sieg grumbled.

The newcomer left and Gray Thunderbolt didn't bother to turn to see him leaving: he resumed working and whistling a tune.

"Say. I just had an odd thought." Sieg brought up.

"What's it?" Gray Thunderbolt asked.

"That "XY" is a Navi of this civilization… That much I get. But… What happened to his masters? I mean: we know they approached Mu and the On'setsu Kingdom but… What became of them afterwards? Did they go extinct?" Sieg wondered.

"Could be. I'm sure _aibou_ knows more than he lets out: maybe he thinks it's personal. Since he owes his power and such to these guys for giving his ancestors the schematics and knowledge…"

"Good point. And if they're extinct like the Forerunners then I'd say they can't pose too much trouble for us, can they?"

"Don't forget the Halo rings!" Gray Thunderbolt warned.

"Yikes. Luckily they don't seem to have built any of those."

"Luckily enough, yeah. The novels suggest that there were political motives behind them as well… The Master Builder and the Builder caste seeking to make profits out of it and deprecate the Warrior-Servant caste as well… Forerunners may have been incredibly advanced but they were rather arrogant and did conspire against their kindred… And then they destroyed themselves to free the Milky Way galaxy from the Flood's hordes… Only to have the whole thing begin again, 100,000 years later, by the recklessness of the Covenant who came to Installation 04… Well. The leak at 04 was contained but, unfortunately enough…"

"The Flood had escaped in Installation 05, captured the Monitor, and impaired all containment attempts… And developed a Gravemind: and when the Covenant got there things only worsened… With the Flood invading High Charity: and turning it into a colony… To then attempt to spread across the Milky Way again…" Urateido muttered.

"Huff. I'm tired. Let's download this data and bring it to _aibou_: don't forget to shut down the transfer machine after we get through it. The existence of this planet is top-secret… And you mustn't tell anyone else about this space-city thing. The less we know the better." Gray Thunderbolt decided with a sigh.

"OK!"

He shut down the screens and warped elsewhere: he reappeared next to a cave's entrance in a mountain and looked out at the night skies which were filled with stars but several of them were different from those you could see on Earth.

"No wonder. This planet is actually on another arm of the Milky Way and there's that portal thing left behind by these "Creator" guys which allows you to get here through the Solar System's Kuiper Belt."

"Yo. Sorry for the hold-up." Evil Corvus warped there.

"Let's go have some water on the rocks." Venomous Wolf laughed.

"Water on the rocks, eh? Yeah. Gas drinks at night make me feel bad and I've got trouble falling asleep later. Let's go shake the shaking shaker of shakers. And soon we'll figure out if the courtroom will be blown up by M &F too." He laughed.

"Knowing them… It'd hardly be a surprise! Headlines: two brute "TIA" agents blow up the courtroom 'cause they were playing with a grenade borrowed from the Cobra Unit's "The Pain"!" Evil Corvus chuckled.

"I bet that "This Ain't A Drill Man" is coming out next."

The three of them laughed and warped out but failed to spot some figures looking on from a nearby cliff…


	17. Chapter 17: Successors

**Chapter 17: Successors**

08:45 AM (Moscow Time), Wednesday July the 20th…

"… Good morning, Forte."

"Morning, Serenade."

"Is Dr. Cossack awake?"

"I don't think so. His sister came over yesterday evening to have dinner and they had a long chat about family stuff… I guess. He told me this was private so I was looking up stuff on Nico Nico Douga. It's a fun site and I like the comments that scroll along the screen… I was getting up-to-date with the main sagas…"

"I see. Ah yes. I brought someone I know: you may come in."

"My name is Yamato Man. Golden Star."

"Wow. So _Danna_'s a Golden Star member…"

"I have been in a trip to improve my knowledge of martial arts and fighting: I stumbled upon Lord Serenade and he invited me to follow His Grace."

"May you skip "His Grace", Yamato Man?"

"But thou are the Reverse King, my Lord."

"Fine. I never presumed of it yet… Oh well. Do as you like."

"Acknowledged."

Serenade had come over to Dr. Cossack's place and was greeted by Forte who was looking at a _Super Mario Galaxy 2_ play-through from the looks of it: they began to chat and then Serenade introduced a Navi who stepped into the area.

Yamato Man, the newcomer, was clearly over a meter and eighty tall in height and wore blue-colored _samurai_ armor over his body: it had a golden-colored band around the waist which was divided by several vertical and thin black lines.

His face was colored in a dull gray color: his mouth was a mere line shaped like a trapeze aiming upwards while a small cubical piece was set on his chin as well and his eyes' irises were brown in coloring.

The round shoulders had a yellow band around their half to split into upper and lower portion.

Three rectangle-shaped plaques of armor extended slightly below the shoulder but before the forearm: each forearm was covered in cyan armor plus a yellow ring around the wrist.

The top of the palms had a small dome-shaped yellow-colored object atop them: the arm and hand "skin" was colored black.

Another three layers of armor covered each hip: the pale blue and thick lower body began beneath the torso armor: it ended below the knees from which the feet emerged a piece of armor shaped like the front half of a cylinder covered the black "skin" while the front and rear of each foot were protected by blue armor which had a yellow border: it ended around the ankle and left a small space between each piece.

The neck had a thick yellow metallic band around it which covered all of it expect the front: a _samurai_ helmet covered his head.

A yellow-colored metallic piece shaped like a triangle facing forward was set on his helmet's forehead: there was another above it the shape of which was reminiscent of the Alphabet "V" character.

The chest section of the armor had a circular cavity on it with his drawing set on it: it was a black circle followed by a white space and a second black circle: a black dot was set in the middle and three small lines spread from it until the inner border aiming north, SW and SE: each line had an additional curved line cutting through them near the lower end.

"I shall continue my patrol."

"Good. We shall talk later.

"Eh… See ya."

"Hum! I march to the campaign!"

"The guy looks up to the whole _Sengoku_ thing, huh?" Forte guessed after Yamato Man had left.

"I guess so. He is a Navi built by Slur but quickly got interested in me and was eager to meet me."

"I see. So? Has something happened as of late?"

"Not much. They come and go."

"Like nomads, huh."

"It could be named as such, true."

"Those broadcasts were fun stuff. I'm waiting for the next one." Forte admitted with a giggle.

"If you have found something which makes you feel happy…" Serenade made a welcoming smile.

"But it's surprising to see all the development computers and such have undergone in just 20 years… The speed at which OS change is maddening and don't get me started with the Apple stuff and the smart-phones: the world in your pocket…"

"In essence."

"Oh well. Things are as they are: at least this has helped gather fans across the world in communities…" Forte commented.

"Fua~h… Good morning. Forte. Serenade. Did something happen? Too much wine last night but since it was a special day…"

"Nothing urgent, Dr. Cossack."

"Yeah. Serenade was just dropping by."

"By the way, Serenade… Do you know someone named "VBN"?"

"I do not."

"The radio trio?" Forte wondered.

"Who?"

"Golden Star's radio trio: they make up broadcasts which are adaptations for the radio of some comic books… Video-Burner-Needle…" Forte explained.

"Well. I have a mail which seems to have been sent to several people at the same time and it reads… "Snowy snowing the snows."…" Dr. Cossack read aloud.

"Snowy snowing the snows? Looks like a poorly improvised rhyme to begin with and somehow I suspect it wasn't VBN's idea." Forte frowned and looked puzzled.

"Are you the origin of that mail?" A voice asked from outside the firewall all of a sudden.

"Who goes there? I know of no mail. ID yourself."

"Search Man of the Sharo Army!"

"Hum! I have heard of you. Sinner."

"Don't tell me you're in league with Golden Star too." Laika's voice grumbled.

"I'm not "in league": I am an official member! And that mail is a fake sent by Gray Thunderbolt and the other two troublemakers." Yamato Man grumbled back.

"Gray Thunderbolt? Sheesh. It had to be the guy. Come back, Search Man, before Uncle comes to scold me for chasing after this mail without his permission." Laika grumbled.

"That's why I said you were rushing it." A voice added.

"Oh come on. Be quiet and do me a favor, Ian."

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you, Laika."

"They've left, Lord Serenade." Yamato Man reported.

"Impatience… It leads to no good ends." Serenade sighed.

"Guess that. It must lead to trouble instead, I'd guess."

"Of course it does." Dr. Cossack sighed.

"Puku! Ore Chalk Chips! Puku! 3000 per Chip! Puku!" Bubble Man's voice rang out next.

"Traitor! Vile! Lowlife! Plebeian!" Yamato Man hissed.

"UWA~H! RUN FOR YOUR BUBBLES, DE PUKU!" Bubble Man screamed and ran off.

"What's the deal with that guy?" Forte asked.

"He sold off someone who wanted him to shelter for money: he is not trustable and he scams people." Serenade sighed.

"Man. And what's "Ore Chalk", anyway?"

"Mishearing. It's pronounced "Oreichalcos": it's a special Field Battle Chip which "Shunoros" owns. They tended to use it to try to overpower the opponent but in the end realized it dulled their original potential so they have stopped using it. You have experienced it: have you not, Yamato Man?" Serenade called out after explaining.

"Yes, my Lord! It was a vile cheat. And the problem was that it could not be destroyed from the inside or the outside."

"And what bonus did it have, then?"

"50% power up to all abilities…"

"50%! That's something." Forte whistled.

"Oh well. There will be time to get up to date on that, Forte. Do not feel stressed or nervous."

"Not like I was, Serenade… I've got all the time in the world. Right, Dr. Cossack?"

"Of course. Let's enjoy these quiet days."

"Heh, heh! Alright! One day I'll try out one of these games too."

_And by the way… I should meet that Rock Man guy and thank him, too…_

13: 13 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I needed to have a walk around. Let's see if there's any offer around here or a familiar face… Speaking of which… You're Number Man, right? Higure – san's Navi…"

"Oh yes! It's been a while, Rock Man."

"Is Higure – san alright?"

"As usual. He's investigating some distribution of fake Rare Chips like Meteor 9 or Dream Aura…"

"I see. Someone's aiming to make money…"

"And they had something odd to them."

"Odd?"

Rock Man had been walking around Internet City when he met Higure Yamitarou's Net Navi, Number Man: they greeted each other and Number Man began to explain.

"They all had a TXT file with a message inside… "SRNHS"… But no – one can seem to figure out what it means… Rumors have begun to signal the "ghost" of the "ghost server" as culprit…"

"Oh come on. People sure have THICK heads."

"Why's that?"

"It's an anagram. And it's missing the vowels. But that name is pretty well-known by now! "Shunoros"! It's the troublemaker trio… AGAIN. They never learn the lesson!" Rock Man groaned.

"Whoa! But what do they gain from…?"

"This? Nothing! They just wanna troll you."

"I'll praise you yet, Uncle Merton's nephew!" A voice rang out.

"I know that voice. Evil Corvus. Show your hide."

"I'm here and there!" The voice echoed.

"Wait a min… The harmonics are slightly different… It sounds like a voice synthesizer… And that means that…! WATCH OUT!"

"Whoa!"

CRASH!

"Devil! Who tossed this container? We could've been crushed hadn't we noticed it!"

"Damn them all. It's gotta be one of the rascals… The Jet Black Phoenix rascals!"

"Indeed! Welcome to your grave, Rock Man!"

Rock Man suddenly tackled Number Man out of the way as a container fell from atop a nearby building and hit the ground: Number Man cursed and Rock Man guessed who the culprit was: Drill Man suddenly shot out of the container straight for Rock Man but he jumped out of the way by heading into the air and drawing his Rock Buster which he quickly loaded to form a reddish sphere of energy: he aimed for Drill Man's back and shot it there: the shot got attached and then detonated inwards to pierce through the armor: Drill Man growled and continued warping around while forming his underling Viruses to try to trap Rock Man from several directions: Rock Man simply shot them on their backs: he then formed a Count Bomb wrapped in a White Web and tossed it to Drill Man's back: it got stuck there and went off.

"So? When will you fight me for real, punk?"

"Wha~t? This brat! I'll dust ya yet!"

Drill Man got to his normal form and drew two Super Vulcan Battle Chips which he shot at Rock Man but he merely extended his right hand forward and formed a Black Hole Battle Chip which nullified the rounds: he suddenly drew a Neo Variable Sword.

"Command inputting! Elemental Sword!"

He swung the sword four times and four different attacks hit Drill Man from different angles.

"Whack! What the heck is that?"

"Your precious "ghost" didn't tell you? Or maybe you didn't bother to research it, I guess."

"Damn you~… Tunnel Crusher!"

"Like that will work!"

Rock Man dodged the incoming attack and swung the Neo Variable Sword to form a Sonic Boom: it hit Drill Man's back and he whipped around to try to attack Rock Man yet he merely ran towards a wall and began to climb up it to then drop and ride atop Drill Man while stabbing a Long Blade he'd drawn on the left forearm into the earlier wound: the nanomachines began to try to repair the wound.

"Slow. Predictable. I've seen footage of your appearances insofar and I soon found your weak point." He taunted.

"Damn it! I'll drag you to Hell!"

"Oh yeah? Impress me, ugly. This ain't a drill, by the way." Rock Man smirked next.

"SHEESH!"

Drill Man suddenly shot upwards and Rock Man calmly jumped off his back to ignite jets on his boots' soils and land back on the ground: he looked upwards to see Drill Man plunging diagonally towards him at a mad speed but Rock Man merely smirked as he drew a Hell's Burner Battle Chip and shot a stream of flames at the drill: Drill Man managed to resist the heat and impacted into Rock Man: but Rock Man vanished in a cloud of smoke and left behind a "Groudon" _chibi_ plushie: Drill Man gasped as Rock Man reappeared higher in the air and shot 10 _shuriken_ in a row which lodged into his back, including the still-healing wound: the weight made him fall face-down into the ground while Rock Man landed in front of him while leaning both punches against the sides of his body and looking down (literally) on Drill Man while having a smug smirk across his face.

"I don't need any special forms to defeat you."

"Damn it all! What does this mean?"

"That your individual power is… weak. When you attacked in group you could sum up power but… That's all."

"Che! Desert Man! The rascal! I'm sure the rascal's involved: I should be invincible!"

"Oh yeah? Look at Dark Man: he's not invincible and he was your pal, ya know? And Desert Man got busted recently, too." Rock Man reminded him next.

"Hey. Rock Man. What's up?" Netto asked.

"No big deal, Netto – kun. This ain't a drill showed up but he's so weak that he's getting boring, even."

"Man! Don't speak like that! It gives me the vibes." Netto complained with a sigh.

"Guess that."

"I'm not over yet! Salamander!"

A blackish Salamander formed and Drill Man flew upwards but Rock Man merely regarded it with a dull and bored look: he loaded up a Giga Cannon Program Advance and shot it at Drill Man yet a Curse Shield got in the way and the attack got shot back at Rock Man: he wasn't expecting that one and the blow did push him into the ground: the Salamander crashed and the area was engulfed in flames as Drill Man began to try to pierce through Rock Man's body: he roared and suddenly drew the Rock Buster which glowed with an eerie blood red tint: he shot a continuous blood red laser beam which pierced through Drill Man's body slightly above his Ultimate Program: Drill Man growled and then Rock Man formed a Golden Fist on the other forearm to break his nose: the pain did distract Drill Man for the time being and Rock Man suddenly gripped and ripped the core armor to expose Drill Man's blackish Ultimate Program: he gripped it and began to try to crush it while hatred burnt on his eyes.

"Rock Man! Stop!"

"Huh! Area Steal!"

He warped away and landed 3 meters south of the spot while panting and somehow managing to keep his balance: he gripped his chest emblem as if trying to bear with the pain and made a grimace.

"Drill Man. You fool." "XY" icily hissed over the radio.

"Yikes! B-but…!"

"My orders are ABSOLUTE! NO DELETING! NO MUTILATION! YOU ARE JUST SUPPOSED TO COLLECT DATA! YOU FOOLISH NETWORK NAVIGATOR!" He suddenly roared.

"Please forgive me, my Lord! I got…!"

"COCKY!" "XY" finished for him.

Drill Man gulped and his face color got worse as if knowing it was about to get worse than that.

"Hibernation! 15 days!"

"E~H?"

"Emergency retrieval! I have had enough of your IDIOCIES!"

He was forcefully retrieved as the usual phenomenon ensued: Rock Man groaned and collapsed into his fours while panting: Number Man rushed to his side and helped him stand by having him lean on him.

"I'll get you to your home."

"T-thanks… S-sorry for that, Netto – kun… I guess something I'd kept buried surfaced…" He groaned.

"Come back and we'll talk about that. Can you repair that or do we need to go to Papa's lab?"

"I can do that myself, yeah… Sorry. I'm such an idiot."

"Don't blame yourself, Rock Man. We're not perfect."

"Y-yeah… You're right, Number Man… Let's go…"

13:50 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I won't go back to my "cyborg body" until this fully heals or my chest is gonna hurt the whole day."

"Alright. But don't blame yourself, Saito – niisan! It's not like you can keep your cool when you're being attacked like that."

"Y-yeah… But that sudden anger and hatred…! Where did they come out from to begin with…? Maybe it's sequels of that which happened some years ago…"

"Come on! I'll play the newest broadcast. It'll do for a mood-changing method."

"A-alright… Thank you, Netto – kun…"

Rock Man was sitting in an armchair inside of his house's PC while the classical repair rings spun around him and slowly repaired the attained damage: Netto looked somewhat gloomy while Rock Man was still rather annoyed.

"… VBN! On Air! Court Witness! The last chapter! Let's roll and rock!"

"Roll and rock, huh…?" Rock Man made a weak grin.

"… "OK! Bell-boy! Let's go! Heh, heh! I'm inviting you to the pub to have a noodle sandwich!"… "Are you mad? How can you think of going out with the kid? The culprit can be waiting in any corner and discharge…! UWA~GH!"… "But… Boss! Man! The point is that it's bait to catch the terrorist! It's not the bell-boy: a robot with a 10,000 V battery! When the culprit tries to grip it…. Well! You've seen it! Heh, heh! I don't find it odd that our best brains flee! With retrograde jerks like ya around…"… "Tries to grip it, tries to grip it… And what happens if I shoot it?"… "Well. Then a doll comes out."… "A doll? And so what?"… "It's super-concentrated sulfuric acid!"… "A~H!"… "What a burn, man! We had to graft 300 square centimeters of pig skin! And find one with a similar navel size!"…"

"Man! First was shock therapy, then his navel area gets burnt by sulfuric acid… What a morning for F!"

"Sure thing! The maddening morning!"

"… "Come on, Boss, don't get hysterical! Man! Think of what happened to the poor pig that didn't harm anyone! Well. Do you agree that it's a good idea?"… "Heh! Not yet, 'cause, say… What happens when I hit the head with a wooden stick?"… A spring pops out and the stick is bounced back to hit his head! "No comment! I know the answer! Well. I think that the thing might be of help. Let's place it on a strategic spot!"… "Man! It's so crowded that not even a periscope could spot the robot."… "I'm going to try to spot a more discrete spot!"… F climbs up a ledge and, meanwhile, our culprit holds a cactus pot while standing on the rooftop! "Aha! I knew they'd come sooner or later! Take cactus essence!"… "Got it: in front of the public library! Nobody comes closer… Let's bring him there and quit breaking our heads!"… CRONCH! BLAF!"… The pot hits his head and then he activates the spring device: F ends up hanging from a banner with his pants hanging down! "Taxidermist: we dissect all kind of bugs!"…"

"What an irony."

"Guess that!"

"… "Boss! What are ya doing there? You don't fit with the banner, man!"… "GRFJTX! It's over! I'm fed up! I'm going to cut it up!"… "I caught you just in time! So indenting to kill the youngster?"… "N-no, see, I…"… PTAF! "Man! Boss! I'm not to blame that you get into a mess with people! Go to see a piano tuner to get your keys fixed! Did ya know? I added paralyzing gas: it gets triggered when there's a violent act or a sudden movement in front of it!"… "Good! Let's go hide and see if…!"… "No! Don't run! Didn't I say that…?"… "PFFF! "ARGLGLGL!"… "See? He got paralyzed! And now a truck comes in at top speed!"… VROAR! "UA~GH!"… "You've got a dumb day, man! It's no good to run around like a rabbit with your bones half-destroyed!"… "This time it's the real end! Protective gloves against electricity… And toss the thing into the abyssal depths!"… "Magnificent! Going for it again?"… "No, of course not! I was swinging the kid, man! Dance in the dance~…!"… "And mocking me! Bring him here!"… A~RGL! A very funny joke indeed! Very funny joke indeed! By the way: have you written your will?"… "W-well, I, no…"…"

"Sheesh. And he pissed off a brute huge guy, huh?" Rock Man rolled his eyes and seemingly guessed what was going on.

"Guess that."

"… PAF! PAF! PATAPAF! PAF! REPAF! PAF! "Boss is so carefree when it comes to that…! Recently repaired teeth… Man! Boss! What are you gonna do with those pliers? You couldn't…? You couldn't…? Couldn't but did it! The brute! Absolute brute!"… F pulled out M's tongue and pressed it with the pliers! "I've had a better idea! I'll be bait! I'll disguise as bell-boy and remain on guard… When he shows up… Gotcha!"… "I think Boss is right: this robot has only brought trouble… Alright. I'll burn it up and let's end this up!"… "UA~H!"… "Devil! I knew it was well-done but to that extreme… B-BOSS!"… "EAT FIRE! EAT THIS! EAT THI~S!"… "I don't smoke, Boss! Go heat up the North Pole and the Inuit!"… "Man! The kid's there! Heh, heh! And no – one's around! This time I'll win!"…"

"Sheesh. And F's plan is crushed because M mistook him for the robot, huh?" Rock Man sighed.

"How is the wound like?"

"95% healed… Another few minutes…"

"Guts, guts! Guts Man – sama, King Upon The City, challenges the evil Rock Man to a duel! De guts!" Guts Man's voice rang out from behind the firewall.

"Sheesh. Not this farce again."

"Guts Man… Aren't ya forgetting something?" Roll's annoyed voice questioned in the background.

"Guts?"

"I'M NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND AND I DON'T INTEND TO BE!" She snapped at him.

"GATTSU~!"

THUD!

"What, he fainted?" Netto groaned out of annoyance.

"Sheesh. You've just done it. Ookarada." Rock Man fumed.

"Netto~! Girl-thief! Face me in a manly…! OUWA~H!" Dekao had begun to yell on the street only to yelp in pain.

"To your place! We'll talk with your mom! AGAIN AND AGAIN!" Meiru snapped.

"Wha~h! Meiru – cha~n! Let go of my ea~r!"

"The summer madness again… Someone save our sanity!"

"Yeah. Let's resume. At least we know that this nothing compared with the madness surrounding us." Netto sighed.

"I know."

"… "I'm fed up with the bell-boy stuff! I'm heading back to the office and…! Devil! The terrorist!"… "Holy! A "TIA" lizard!"… "I'm gonna… A~GH!"… "Eat finger! Maybe you had dust in the eye!"… "Why! Boss and the terrorist! The paralyzing gas got triggered! It's far more effective than butane gas! There's no splitting them! Well. Luckily I had the scrap-man disguise with the carriage… Let's bring them to the "TIA" infirmary and see what happens!"… "What times! Nowadays everything ends up as scrap!"… "Don't bring it up, man. That finger was so deep in…! I had to use the burner!"… "Well! You can't complain, eh? The terrorist is in prison again and the bell-boy is unharmed!"… "Thanks to "my" sacrifices the bell-boy will be able to act as the court witness he is!"… "Yes. But… Did you know? It's no longer necessary! It's been found out that the guy was the author behind a string of attacks so he'll be sentenced to more than 300 years… The bell-boy's witness is no longer needed!"…"

"Oh come on! After ALL the struggle they went through THE WHOLE STORY…! And now they get told it was for nothing?" Rock Man groaned out of pure annoyance.

"It's getting repetitive: their efforts being in vain…" Netto sighed.

"Too repetitive!"

"… "Are you mad or what? Get me outta here! This water's cold as ice! You'll pay for this!"… "But, man! Boss! You shouldn't have done it: the water contamination fines are so high…!"… "Shut up, I say! Leave me alone!"… "Why! It's Mister Filemón! He'll be so happy to see me, I'd say!"… F closed Mr. Super in a well and he and M walked off as Sacarino comes in! And now…! Video!"

"Burner!"

"Needle!"

"Main story… Over! But! Don't forget that we have 3 short stories to bring to you in the next days! Two tomorrow: "Watch out for the karateka" and "Money, money"! And with this… We say… Off Air! See ya!"

"Oh well. My wound is healed by now. I'm going back to my "cyborg body" and will wash my face. Maybe we should go the gym and do some sports to stay in shape." Rock Man announced.

"Alright."

He warped out of the PC and Netto watched as his "cyborg body" stirred and sat up on the bed: he stretched and yawned before standing up ad heading for the bathroom: he washed his face and then headed out into the balcony: he leant on the handrail and hummed a tune.

"Fish! Fish! Calcium! Calcium! Kids! Don't forget your calcium dose: delivered by Masa – sama: a TRUE fisherman! No Hokkaido kiddoes can stand up to my mighty Shark Man!" Masa announced.

"I wonder about that." Saito grinned.

"Shark Man WAS hard back then… But by now… I don't think he can be that hard, right?" Netto commented from the inside.

"Fish! Fishing fished fish! Oh! Mariko – sensei! Some fish!"

"No thank you. It doesn't feel fresh to me, Masa – san!"

"NO WAY~!"

Saito giggled and Netto chuckled at Masa's reaction…

22:40 PM (Philippines Time)…

"… My Master? Why have we come here, to "Kyutora"?"

"There is something I discovered recently…"

"Is that so?"

"Something odd was going with the main server: I tried to find out what it was and then…"

"Then?"

"It was a communications program… The one built into the main server of this space-city… Someone has been using it to beam messages to us and I want to figure out who it is."

"The troublemaker trio, my Master. Who else?"

"I thought so at first. But the messages were beamed in what seemed to be a modern version of our tongue."

"What? None of them could figure out how to use our tongue. And even less to build a modern version of it."

"Hence why I bothered to come all the way here by using one of our "portal" devices and beaming ourselves into the main server to then materialize here…"

"But then again, Master… _Who_ beamed those messages?"

"There is only one answer: someone of our civilization…"

"Helios" and "XY" were standing in a large plaza inside of the space-city in "Kyutora" which had a large central tree and some roads leading to the insides of large buildings: a large set of stone stairs leading to an upper level with two open stone doors there had been carved in the southern end of the plaza: "Helios" and "XY" were hiding inside of the tree's foliage and talking: "Helios" looked dead serious and "XY" looked both surprised and curious.

"We never knew what happened to the colonies."

"True, Master. We assumed they were wiped out by "Duo" like the home-world…" "XY" admitted.

"But maybe they survived. Yet they may have lost information and did not know how to find the space-cities. And maybe they have just now discovered this one and trying to establish contact with the other two in hopes of figuring out what became of us." "Helios" whispered.

He suddenly gasped and signaled for "XY" to remain silent: three figures clad in tunics similar to those of "Helios" (similar to the one Gray Thunderbolt had seen there the previous day) came in: they had helmets with golden face-plates on to seemingly breathe: one of them turned around and spread the arms: the doors slowly and silently closed as air began to fill up the space: they all took out the helmets to reveal an older man, a younger man (the one from the other day) and a younger woman: they had no facial hair and their eyes irises varied from blue to green along with brown.

"They do look like they have committed some genetic changes: their height is about 10cm lesser than the average." "XY" whispered.

"Or maybe they have stopped using them altogether and wanted to revert to their original state and not artificially increase their height." "Helios" suggested back.

"What do we do, Master?"

"They must be a scout party. The elder must be the leader. Let us try to listen to their talk: you could try to build up a database to use for translation." He ordered.

"Roger."

"… Zaan ka maaru?" The woman asked the elder.

"Ma-za-za ang nau." The elder drily replied.

"Na-ieu masan." The younger man shrugged.

"Eh… "Has there been any reply yet?"… "None yet, I am afraid."… "There might not be any."…" "XY" translated.

"I see."

"… Desse meu kan." The woman gasped.

"… "I think I heard a voice."…"

"Na-na-eng!"

"… "That is not possible!"…"

"Radae!" The elder snapped.

"… "Silence!"…"

The younger man and the woman bowed their heads as a sign of respect and obedience while the elder looked around: he then signaled for them to go down the stairs and so they did until they reached the plaza: they began to look around.

"… Za-ka-aug magiz akos?" The elder asked.

"… "Where did you see those ones?"…"

"They must have found members of "Shunoros": maybe they mistook one of them for you or me." "Helios" guessed.

"… Saa-aa, saa-ab, saa-ac… Mie-saa yeriak."

"… "14-15-16… Sub-servers."…"

"Alright. Enough hiding. We will face them."

"Helios" suddenly dropped down and the group gasped: the younger two suddenly drew rifle-like weapons but the elder made a commanding gesture with the right hand and they holstered them.

"… Ancestor?" The elder asked "Helios"."

"You speak the ways of old?"

"Long research."

"Yes. I am one of your ancestors. I mean no harm. I wanted to be sure of your intentions before revealing myself."

"So our Lords are alive?"

"No. I am the only one left."

"I see."

"I am sorry to disappoint you having come so far. But we thought that the colonies were doomed and would not last long after we exiled ourselves to save our species." "Helios" told the elder.

"What is your name, Lord?"

"… Zaygug Shaill. But you can call me "Helios"."

"Helios?"

"A word I learn on the planet of our exile… It means "Sun"…"

"I see. And that Lord is…?"

"My lab assistant."

"Xon' Yuvell. XY for short."

"I am Daguh Baxh. Those two are Saccan Prunth and Qantz Mehuh: my disciples." He introduced.

"Let us sit and talk."

"Kaa-en kie!" Baxh ordered Prunth and Mehuh in their tongue.

They bowed their heads and simply sat in their knees: the others did the same and Baxh cleared his throat.

"The colonies are still alive. And so is the home-world."

"What!"

"30 years after the exile… By exploiting a massive amount of "vacuum energy" and Time-Space physics… The effects of Duo's attack were reverted and everything was restored. Yet… That was the beginning of what later generations named "Era of Madness"…"

"Era of Madness?"

"The Ruling Council…"

"… Let me guess: did not learn the lesson."

"Correct, Lord. They said that Duo had been a failure because it had onboard AI and was not a mere pre-programmed device. So they sought to create more powerful weapons to take control of other worlds and exploit their mineral and energetic resources for the profit of the Commerce Caste…"

"The fools!" "Helios" growled.

"Indeed, Lord. 50 years were spent developing untold horrors of mass destruction. A schism soon began. Some saw this as the beginning of a road which would end with our total and complete annihilation: were those devices to turn upon us like Duo did… This time nothing would and no – one would be able to restore us… So a faction grew within colonies and the home-world… "The Reset Faction"…"

"Reset Faction!"

"Indeed. They said that we had reached the peak of our technological development and social development. We had to put a halt to it before others were to suffer out of our madness and arrogance… So a coup was gestated for some years… And the time came… About 100 years after the exile… The Age of Reset began."

"Age of Reset…! What happened?" "XY" asked.

"The Reset Faction sabotaged key development facilities with the very weapons that were being developed and once they had been evacuated: when the populace knew of the horrors which we were creating they began a mass exile into wilderness… They vowed to break apart with everything… Our lifestyle was dull by then, and artificial. We were becoming machines. We had lost our basic animal instincts and emotions… Would we turn our children into victims of their parents' madness? No. So some communities self-destroyed themselves and others began to degrade themselves… In less than 15 years most of the colonies and the home-world had fallen into decadence…"

"And the knowledge was purposely lost?" "Helios" guessed.

"Sometimes. Others they were sealed in "time vaults" which could not be opened until a certain amount of time had passed. We lost access to space and to communications. Commerce died. Each planet became an independent world. And so the decadence continued until in a few decades we had returned to a primitive state… The new children were told a planetary cataclysm had destroyed almost all and it was a sign that Fate told us to begin anew…"

"I see. A tragedy yet… A necessary one."

"Yes. We began to slowly grow again over a long period… From small bands to villages… From villages to cities… From cities to nations, kingdoms, empires… Republics, tyrannies, federalism… Discovery of abandoned technology and slow deciphering of ancient instructions and messages… It all culminated in achieving planetary unity and space-travel a century ago…"

"A century ago…! It took 5 millennia to reach that stage again… And so you now live without any artificial life-extending genetics and such… Hence your lower average height…"

"No. We wanted to live as we are. With emotions. With makes us living beings instead of machines… 20 years ago one of the last "time vaults" finally unlocked… And we discovered the truth of why we had had to reset our worlds… About Duo… And the Exiled Ones…"

"And you recently discovered this space-city."

"Yes. The final transmissions talked about a portal left behind by their parents but they had not been told what they had to do with it: they had decided to meet their fellows in a planet beyond that portal and leave the citadel empty… We thought that, maybe, over time, it would have been populated again yet… I see that it is not the case."

"Kaa-kaa yue?" Prunth, the woman, asked.

"… "And the ones here?"… Ah yes. Maybe you could tell us about some odd Network Navigators she and he saw?"

"Ah. Well. To sum it up… They are not Network Navigators. They are a species very close to ours in appearance and biology… They are named "humans" and live in a planet named "Earth"…"

"So that is the planet mentioned in the last transmissions. We had begun to collect EM data and were planning to study the orbital space-craft along with the facility further north…" Baxh rubbed his chin.

"One small faction, using schematics passed down for a long time, have developed a technology which allows them to temporarily become EM Wave Bodies and freely interact with electronic devices. They built a base here and they surely had come, like they often do, to try to figure out more about us."

"Do they know about us?"

"Only a very few ones. Less than 12 ones…"

"So. What happened to your kindred, Lord?"

"They decided to mingle with the humans and to erase all traces of their origins: they had the instinct that any further attempts to develop further technology could drag Duo over there and have it destroy that planet as well… But I decided to try out an experiment… I became a Network Navigator and still am… I was exiled… And when I returned 100 years later none were left. I have spent millennia wandering the world and seeing the evolution of these species, comparing it to ours… They are still very, very far away from planetary unity… It could take many centuries still but a large change in the foundations of the current society will be needed to achieve that…" "Helios" narrated.

"I see."

"However! Do not attempt to establish contact. Although they have been dreaming of encountering outsiders for decades and such… If they come with hostile intentions… They shall fight back with all they have. I would rather not go beyond the portal. Their system is filled with exploration probes and you could be detected with enough time to get them ready to fight back… A stealth approach would only worsen it…"

"Hum! If you have lived there for so long then you, Lord, must know it better than anyone else." Baxh nodded in agreement.

"I will allow you full access to the data-banks. But that is all: humans are not ready yet to meet us. Only a few ones who can keep the secret know it insofar… And if needed… They shall drag that secret with them so as to not to worsen things…" "Helios" told Baxh.

"That is a fair deal. If I tell this to the Exploring Council they will surely understand. The Exploring Council seeks peaceful exploration. And those weapons may only be unlocked when there is certain danger: they are to be used only for self-defense."

"Good. Do not abuse of them. And bringing them along would only further the misunderstanding."

"I understand. Our built-in communications devices have forwarded all of these conversations to the craft's memory core."

"You may explore this world freely: I know how to contact the leader of that group and tell him to keep his disciples away. The "portal" devices will be left locked from the other side too. We cannot take any risks in this situation, Baxh."

"I understand, Lord Shaill. Ke-ke-wa'u maf jeun!" He told the two disciples in a commanding tone.

"… "Do not act on your own!"…" "XY" translated.

Both bowed their heads in obedience and Baxh nodded in agreement before facing "Helios" again.

"Successors. Children. If you are moved by an honest heart which responds to your desires… Then you shall overcome our mistakes." He told them with a smile.

The other two were surprised at the smile but quickly inclined their bodies forward to show respect.

"We elders have a code that obliges us to be strict with them: maybe it is about time we reconsidered some aspects of it, my Lord."

"Yes. Being strict is one thing. But if you are too strict you plant the seeds for grudge and hatred… One day they might bring forth terrible consequences, even…"

"I see. I shall keep that warning in my heart, Lord. We are authorized to spend another week here."

"By the way: did you achieve synthetic food again?"

"Oh yes. It is much more practical. But I guess that humans still depend on natural ingredients and creatures. Am I right?" Baxh deduced with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Yes. Some steps have begun but they are very small. They will take a lot of time to become significant."

"If we can meet again we shall bring forth imagery of how the worlds have changed… Ah yes. There is now a Science Council with representatives of each world: they decide which researches should be prioritized and they analyze and decode ancient messages as well."

"That is a good thing. Overcoming the blunder that the Ruling Council was is one big step. Keep it up like this."

"We shall meet again, Lord. Sha-yei-fuoh!"

"… "Let the stars guide thee."…" "XY" translated.

"You too."

"Xarh-thun!"

"… "Let us go."…"

The group of 3 bowed their heads and headed back the stairs: a contention field formed around them as the doors opened and they exited outside: the doors shut down behind them and both sighed as they stood up there, in the plaza.

"So. We have successors… That has given me new motivation."

"And me, Master. I needed something to vent off my earlier mood."

"Truly. And you acted correctly. Those fools need to be told that you pay the consequences of defying commands."

"Yes, Master."

"Oh well. Once the remaining 2 have come out… We shall put them in hibernation for a while. And once they wake up we shall have readied new training programs so… In the meanwhile you can continue to help me in the researches…"

"Delighted. I do hope that Rock Man does not develop a grudge with me for lack of control…"

"Oh no. We know that child pretty well. He knows the circumstances: he will surely shrug it off."

"It does sound like a probable _scenario_."

"By the way… You should contact Kuroban when we get back to Earth and warn him to keep his men away from here."

"It shall be done." He bowed his head.

"Good."

"OH YEAH! LET ZA SPACE HIT ZA TIME!"

"W-what was that?" "Helios" gasped.

"I guess one of the troublemakers left something behind." "XY" sighed in defeat,

"Sheesh. Another reason to keep them away: defiling the atmosphere of the space-city… They need another punishment."

"Ironic. And right now we were talking about not being too strict to others or they would develop a grudge…"

"Ironic indeed. By the stars. Let us get ready to go back. But let us leave behind a program to purge that stupid joke."

_Those 3…! They do not learn their lesson, do they? Kuroban would better do something about it and soon… We shall meet again, our successors…_


	18. Chapter 18: Third class magician

**Chapter 18: Third class magician**

10:50 AM (Japan Time), Friday July the 22nd…

"… But, really, Meiru – chan… Ookarada doesn't learn!"

"I know, Roll! I talked to the guy's mom and she had him work in extra Math homework for 5 days. Let's hope that serves as a warning of what will happen if he keeps on acting the idiot. Too many soap operas and brain-ape are a dangerous combination."

"Brain-ape? Of coure. Else why hasn't the guy bothered to even once update Guts Man's AI? I tried to challenge how smart the guy actually was and he couldn't remember more than 5 things in a list: I gave up and left the guy there to try to remember what the 6th item was."

"I know. Sheesh. Oh well. At least things have been quiet this summer compared to last…"

"Eh… Sorry, Meiru – chan…"

"Sorry for what?"

"For… You know?"

"Not being able to tell an imposter from me? Don't feel guilty: there was no reason to suspect that anything was out of place."

Meiru and Roll were having a chat while Meiru rehearsed her piano lessons: she wore a sleeveless brownish shirt, jeans with a brown leather belt, and was barefoot yet she'd slipped her feet into the slippers.

"But then again…"

"Roll. I know you feel guilty for that but that's the past. We can't live haunted by the past. Netto ended up suffering an aggression that we thought would leave him scarred forever but thanks to Oriol – kun he got out of that. I know what happened to me wasn't something to shrug off like that but… If you let the fear of that haunt you… They win. The bad gals win." She explained to her.

"Ah! Like I'd let them!"

"That's the spirit, see?"

"Thanks, Meiru – chan."

"Roll – san, Roll – san… Are you there?" Glyde asked from outside of the firewall.

"Come in, Glyde. Yaito – san and the madness, right?"

"I feel some weird _déjà vu_, even. To be honest, miss." He politely admitted with a sigh of defeat.

"Don't we all?" Meiru calmly replied.

"Yo. Meiru – chan. Did ya go visit Vermouth? She'll tell ya the secret of everlasting beauty!" Yaito opened an audio-only line.

"I don't need to. Go ask her yourself. If you can find her, that is. And if Chianti doesn't attack you before that." She added with a hint of irony to her voice.

"Heh, heh, heh. Oh well. Let the gals hit the melons!"

"That was RUDE. Yaito – chan."

"Meh! Nowadays…"

"Yaito!" Her father grumbled close by.

"Yikes! Papa! When did ya…?"

"I've been here for a week already! What happened to your homework, huh? Finish it and quit it with the rude jokes! You'll need to KNOW how to do your WORK! Get it!" He scolded her.

"But, Papa~!"

"No buts! I do my work and I don't have my secretaries do it for me: I must take care of the important numbers, of decision-making and group management! I don't go there to pretend!"

"At last." Glyde sighed in relief.

"About time." Meiru annoyingly muttered.

"Metto~…"

"Huh? Where did these Mettool come out from?" Roll suddenly wondered aloud.

"How did they get in, anyway? Yaito – chan snuck them into your PET or what?" Meiru frowned.

"I don't think so, though…" Glyde ventured.

"Oh! I know. Show your hide. Pervert third-class magician."

"THIRD – class? ME?" Magic Man's voice rang out.

"Yeah. Third – class."

Magic Man suddenly became visible and revealed he was accompanied by a Mettool SP, a Rabiri SP and a Jelly SP: he got annoyed at Roll's self-made taunting title.

"Why not." "XY" sounded like he was smirking, even.

"Yikes! My Lord!"

"So cha are XY. Did ya tell him to sneak in like that?"

"No. I just began to monitor right now. I tend to wait until both parties make contact." He admitted.

"Alright. Glyde. Get away. I'll show this Death-eater wannabe how a fight is fought like." She told Glyde.

"Go! Rabiri! Rabbit Ring!"

"Rabiri~!"

"Curse Shield!"

"Jelly! Grand Tsunami!"

"Barrier!"

"Mettool! Dyna Wave!"

"Area Steal!"

The Rabiri shot the Rabbit Ring at Roll but she used the Curse Shield to block it: the Jelly then formed a Grand Tsunami and tried to wash Roll over but she used a Barrier to protect herself: the Mettool then hit the ground with the pickaxe to produce a linear shockwave but Roll warped out of the spot: Magic Man merely extended his arms forward.

"Magic Fire~!"

He shot two streams made up of bluish fire and hit Roll as she reappeared in front of him but "Roll" vanished in a cloud of smoke and left behind a _chibi_ doll of Iris from the _Pokémon_ games: she appeared higher in the air and began to launch _shuriken_ but Magic Man formed 3 Curse Shield SP to block them all and shoot them back: Roll used an Invisible Battle Chip and dodged the returning _shuriken_: Magic Man laughed.

"I've learnt from Drill Man's blunder!"

"How devious of you. Citizen." "XY" icily muttered.

"Yikes!"

"How about you show me what you can actually do, ugly? Giga Count Bomb!"

"What? Guah!"

Roll formed the Program Advance and tossed it behind the Curse Shields to hit Magic Man: he growled and switched his Viruses for Swording, Sworderer and Swortal: they had a Long Sword, Fire Sword and Aqua Sword equipped respectively.

"Hey. You guys. Prize. Heart Slash!"

Roll jumped into the air and formed a set of "hearts" which she shot towards the Viruses: they attached to their forehead and blinked so the Viruses suddenly began to assault Magic Man.

"What? I disabled their instinct to go after Bug Fragments!"

"It's a control device. It switches their targets around." Roll let out.

"The Virus Breeder scientists came up with it after your 2 attacks there."

"What? Ugrah! Damn it! Get away, you lot! Killer Eye SP! Jelly SP! Mettol SP! Dispose of the traitors!"

"I've got more for them, too. Heart Slash!"

The new Viruses also turned on Magic Man and Roll formed the Dream Sword Program Advance to attack Magic Man from behind taking profit of his distracted state: Magic Man suddenly turned around and drew his Magic Saber.

"Magic Shadow Clone!"

He formed several copies of himself (and solid, given how the Viruses began to hit some of them) and surrounded Roll: she merely drew a Mega Cannon and placed the muzzle on the ground: she shot it and the recoil pushed her into the air just as the Magic Men shot their flames towards her earlier position, replaced by a Giga Count Bomb: it went off and the shockwave wiped off the copies while knocking the Viruses into the ground as well: the real Magic Man showed up from behind Roll and suddenly drove the Magic Saber through her from behind around the stomach area: Roll merely directed a dull glare over her right shoulder as she formed a Salamander Battle Chip and set Magic Man on fire: he yelped and crashed into the ground to be then assaulted by the Viruses: "XY" sighed while Roll calmly landed on the ground.

"Maybe you lot do need some days out of circulation. It will help chill out that useless ego. And there they say adults are smart. What a shame you are, truly. Children can do it better than you, even. What a failed generation." He muttered with obvious annoyance.

Magic Man was warped out of the PC so Roll shrugged while Glyde whistled in surprise.

"Bravo, Roll – san."

"Thanks. It helped improve my mood."

"Get that wound healed, Roll."

"OK!"

"And in the meanwhile… It's M &F time."

"Why not… We know it can't be as maddening as a reality, anyway. I see no harm so…"

"I shall be going."

"Take care, Glyde."

Roll returned to her PET and sat on an armchair while Meiru interacted with the menus and whistled a tune.

"… VBN! On Air! Today… "Watch out for the karateka!" Start! M stands in a room and a phone's ring-tone can be heard. He draws a pen and uncaps it: the pen's body is the earphone and the cap is the microphone. "Mortadelo speaking! Yes, Mr. Super. Yes. Going ASAP! Cut!"… He activates a small lever and the ink jumps off to stain F's face as he'd come in! "Whoa! How silly of me! Mistaking the cut-off lever with the ink draining lever again…"… "Don't worry, man! Here! Get your gun and let's get moving! Whoa! How silly! Mistaking the gun with the electrical lacer gun… Heh, heh!"… "Hee, hee! Hoh, hoh, hoh! HOH, HOH, HOH! HAH, HAH, HAH!"… "And you laugh at that? You broke down?"… "No! What's broken down is your clock!"… "M-my… clock?"… "Yes! The electronic one with built-in crystallized quartz oscillator…! Didn't you tell it was 7 seconds ahead of time and it had to be tuned? I don't think it's worth it anymore! Hee, hee! It's not oscillating ever again! Hoo, hoo, hoo! Well! Man! Don't get annoyed! Here you've got a Sahara sand one!"…"

"Man. So F's vengeance backfired."

"How ironic."

"… "Here you have the nation's 2 heroes! Mr. Super!"… "Yeah! Don Quijote and "Rocinante"! You sure have a foul mood, Boss!"… "It's about Agent Gorílez! Ya know: our karate expert… Thing is: Professor Bacterio had him drink a serum to increase the intelligence and…"… "Gotcha! OK, Boss. Let's donate for the flower crown! When's the burial ceremony?"… "No! He's not dead! But instead of turning clever HE'S GONE MAD!"…"

"A karate expert went mad, huh?"

"And it'd seem that others who try the Prof's inventions don't end up gaining too much in health…"

"… "And now he's become a public danger. You gotta catch him using his same weapons: _karate_! Do you know something about that fighting style, by the way?"… "Who are ya asking? Here's an EXPERT! The point is that you gotta make a yell when attacking. See, see! IA~H! UA~H!"… "Devil! Does it need to be that long?"… "T-the finger! It cog caught in this light-bulb cavity! Cut the current, man!"… "Man! You gotta understand as much karate as you understand thermo-dynamic forces, man. The best hits are delivered with the feet. See: bring me a table!"… "Like this?"… "That's it: hold it! IA~H! How was it like?"… "IA~H!"… "Why! You're also into karate? My tableau! A 12th century Florence tableau, valued in 17 million Z!"…"

"Oh boy." Both girls sighed.

"… PAF! PAF! "Well. I think this ain't karate but it's pretty effective, eh, Boss?"… "Alright! Go search for the mad agent and beware of his incredible strength! Before leaving he deformed this 100 Z coin with the hand's side."… "Psche! Any karateka does that."… "Yeah. With the hands, the teeth… Or the eyebrows!"… "Yes! But he deformed it while it still was inside of the safe!"… "T-think we're gonna run into trouble, Boss!"… "Courage, courage! It won't be hard to follow the trail… He was there!"… "Man! And here!"… "He must be close by: those footprints are proof of it!"… They seed a deformed street light, a torn trunk, a traffic signal and bare footsteps! Then our fellow meets another! "Man! Gorílez! Let's shake it, man!"... He shakes his hand and crushes it! "Well. No. I'm no longer a massage specialist: I'm on a parcel-selling business… And I measure the terrain inches!"… "There! There he is!"… "He's barefoot! Gotcha! I'll scatter some nails with sleeping drug on them… We lure him… And when he steps on them he'll sleep quieter than the national economy!"… "Bravo! Allow me to! Hey! Gorílez! You ape-face! Catch me!"…"

"Trouble incoming?" Roll wondered.

"Guess that. The wounds are almost healed by now, right?"

"Yeah. 95% complete… These auto-repair systems are practical."

"… An elephant suddenly steps over the nails! "No! No! NO!"… It collapses and falls, crushing F! "Man! Boss! Like I'm to blame that an elephant ran away from the zoo! CALM DOWN!"… "Brrr! We lost his track: let's follow the disaster trail!"… "Hum! Paint's losing brightness… Needs another job in the ceiling…"… CRANCH! Gorílez strikes it with the right hand's side and the car ends up half-crushed! "T-thanks. Very kind of you."… "Look: he was here!"… "I see, yeah! There he is! You lure him! I'll wait in hiding and when he comes closer… Hit!"… "That's it! Gorílez is a pig! Gorílez is a pig! Oink, oink, oink! He's following me! Dear! What a locomotive! Ah! A grease barrel! What an idea! This will make him slip, he'll need hands and feet to get back up and meanwhile the Boss will KO him! Heh, heh… B-Boss!"…"

"Oh boy. He was hiding there." Meiru guessed.

"Why didn't he tell his subordinate to begin with?" Roll wondered aloud with some defeatism.

"… TCHAC! THACH! BLOMF! PTAF! "Boss! Beware of the stone bench: don't hit it with the head! He did."… CLONC! "Mortadelo… Puff, puff… Would you bother to come closer?"… "Of course, Boss! Whaddya want? Man! Boss! Next time your aunt will come!"… F lighted a cigar and then stuffed it on M's nose! "Look! Gorílez! He's stopped all of a sudden! What's wrong?"… "A fly! He's looking at a fly!"… The fly lands on his nose! PLAC! "IA~CK! GLGLGL!"… "He knocked out himself! Heh, heh!" … "Let's tie him and bring him to the HQ!"… "Yeah! The hit cured him. He's sane."… "Brrr! If I'd know a mere fly was enough to stop him…!"… "Man! That's logical! Problem is that your brain is slightly deformed… Why don't have a drink of my serum? It's to boost intelligence and…"… "GRJTX! Take serum! Take this! TAKE THIS!"… "Incredible vandalism! Forces an old man to drink 20 liters of "Super" gasoline and runs away. The Interpol's looking around Stockholm, Calcuta and Vinaroz and…"… "What madness, Boss! Taking into account how expensive "Super" gasoline is…"… "Leave me alone"!"…"

"One's greatest weakness is one's self…" Meiru muttered.

"That proverb sure reflects what happened." Roll commented.

"And Professor Bacterio should know better to stay away from them."

"I know."

"VBN! Beware! Don't switch off yet! We've got the short story "Money, money" as well!"

"Let's see what'll happen this time." Meiru calmly suggested.

"Yeah. Let's hope that…"

"Roll – san? Desu? Are you alright? Desu? Where is the Cyber Penguin, desu?" Ice Man asked from outside the firewall.

"Cyber Penguin? There isn't any."

"How odd. There was a mail from you, Meiru – chan, saying that it'd come assault you." Hikawa admitted.

"Why do I feel like that Ikada gal did it? Only someone like her would go for this pointless prank." Meiru sighed.

"Oh come on." Hiwaka sighed.

"Desu?"

"Sorry for the trouble, Hikawa – kun."

"Don't mind it. Bye."

"… "Man! To work we go! Like each day! What a doggy life!"… "So, heading for work? Mr. Mortadelo!"… "Yes, dear, yes… There's but one job! Luckily. HOP! DEAR ME~! IT BURNS! DEAR ME~!"… "Of course: I hadn't taken out the embers yet!"… M tried to dive into a metal barrel which hid a secret entrance but the chestnut granny forgot to take out the embers in the cover! "Brrr! I'm getting fed up with the secret entrances deal! Luckily there's a protection net at the bottom of it." … PLONC! "Hey! Personnel section? I want to report! Agent Maldítez took the protection net away to fish anchovies! Boss is SO lucky! They let him get in through the main entrance…"… "Hey! Personnel section? I want to report! Regarding the main entrance… The automated closing shutter closes too fast!"… It's flattened his back!"

"Oh boy. Taking away the protection net and an automated shutter which closes too fast… They could fix those, couldn't they?"

"Guess they lack the motivation to do so, though."

"… "Well. Let's go see if Mr. Super wants something."… "To bother people, as usual!"… A fellow walks out a quick pace from the office while counting the bank notes in a bundle! "Did you see? That guy got money off Mr. Super!"… "Nobody had been able to ever since Waterloo!"… "Again! This is frightening! Frightening! Frightening!"… "W-what's the matter, Mr. Super?"… "Didn't you see it? That type comes and pulls money off me! My money! My heart's money! Since they have some documents I signed in a moment of madness… I must get them back and the guy uses them to slowly suck money off me… And threatens me! If I don't pay they'll bring the documents to court… And I wouldn't be able to go out into the street or anywhere… It's FRIGHTENING!"… "Gotcha. Allow us: we'll settle this deal! Well. Mortadelo! It's time to act! ASAP!"… "Yes, Boss! What loud bickering plebeians! Let devil bite me if, when I finish this letter… But, Boss… Didn't you say I had to act? I thought that my "Don Juan Tenorio" acting would… YOU BRUTE~!"…"

"Sheesh. He thought he had to act as in theater? And what's that Don Juan Tenorio thing, anyway? Roll?"

"Eh… It's a Spanish theater work of mid-19th century… It's a romance-drama plot set in the 16th century… Rather… One-sided."

"No wonder."

"… "Don't you realize? Mr. Super's being BLACKMAILED! But we'll take back those signed documents and free Mr. Super of it!"… "That's it: the de-blackmailer that de-blackmails, a good de-blackmailer will become…! Man! What a tongue-twister!"… F actually twisted his tongue! "Mr. Super said the type drops by on the 1st of each month. So we'll take care of this next month! And do nothing until then! Aha! The month passed. The blackmailer will come today. I'll warn Mortadelo! M-Mortadelo! What happened?"… He's covered in cobwebs! "Man! Boss! Didn't you tell me to do nothing during a month? So… Sheesh! You're moody today!"…"

"… "We gotta come up with a plan to catch the guy and steal the documents NO MATTER HOW!"… "Allow me, Boss! I'll get them with skill and without any violence!"… "You think so?"…"

"I share the skepticism."

"Truly. Huh? An email? From "Vermouth"… "A secret makes a woman, woman. But a non – secret makes a non-woman, non-woman."… What kind of idiocy is this?" Roll sighed.

"That Ikada gal! That Tozukana was annoying at first but then dropped it with me! And now that Ikada gal…! I'll Netto to complain to that gal's CO!"

"… "You doubt it? There comes Agent Cáfrez. I'll show you my ability "sneaking" the wallet without him realizing! Heh, heh! I introduce the fingers, catch the prey… Whoa! The pocket is pretty deep. Devil! Is this a pocket of the "underground" entrance? Aha! I think I've got it: I'll softly draw it out and… Huh? HUH?"… He draws the guy's inner clothing and the guy realizes by grabbing both sides of the trousers to then turn around and M breaks into cold sweat! "My dear! I hadn't seen such a blow in years!" PTAF! "Well. Maybe we should try another system. No?"… "G-guess t-that, y-yeah!"… "A good idea would be to hide and when the guy goes into Mr. Super's office we jump on him!"… "That's t! The safe: it's always empty so…"… "Good! Let's get to work! Heh, heh! Mortadelo had a bright idea, for once."…"

"Why do I feel like it'll backfire at them?"

"They're predictable."

"Hey. Is this the Sakurai house? I'm Sandra: Ikada's Navi. I just wanted to apologize for my Operator's behavior. Believe me: it's hard enough to keep the gal under control." Sandra called out.

"Oh yeah. It doesn't surprise me. Tell her CO about this latest idiocy and hope she gets arrest or whatever punishment you need." Roll calmly replied.

"Guess some days at her mother's place will do. She can be quite strict when the need for it comes. Like Tozukana's aunt…"

"At least we still have some strict family members around: else we'd all gone mad by now. They're our saviors: saviors from madness!" Meiru sighed.

"Obviously…"

"… "Mr. Super! What's the matter?"… "I'm blown out! Exhausted! I just stored the funds from the central for this year in the safe… Over a million Z! But the count was the killer! It all came in 5 Z coins!"… "Calm down, Boss! I'm going to help ya~!"… F got buried under the river of coins and when M rushed in with a shovel he stuffed it down his throat! "Damn it, I'm not going to think of anything else, then!"… "I'll hide next to the door and when the type is about to come in whistle to me."… "Like snakes, Boss!"… "And I hit the type in the forehead with this!" … F brings out a mechanical baton! "FUI~H!"… "The whistle! The final blow!"… "Boss! Have you seen this kettle? It whistles when coffee is ready! BOSS! WHAT HAVE YA DONE TO MR. SUPER? He sure recovered with momentum! He's beating Boss with the bronze paperweight!"… "Attacking me in my office in such a dirty manner… TAKE THIS, THIS AND THIS!"… "OW! OW! OW! OW!" … CLOC! CLOC! CLOC! "Don't run, no! I'll give coffee-machine!"… "Forget it, Boss! I prefer tea!"… "Alrigth! Let's hide in different spots to attack the blackmailers!"… "That's it! Aha! I think that the cabinet's empty drawer is a good hideout… Hey! Buitráguez! Did ya bring the dog?"… "Yeah. But since Mr. Super didn't want dogs around… I hid it on the cabinet's empty drawer. Did ya know?"… "I know! I truly know! I really know! BRRR!"… The dog had bitten M's nose and he chased after his pal who ran for his bucks!"

"Just 1 million as funds? And in 5 Z coins? What kind of central agency is that?" Meiru wondered.

"The craziest in the world, I guess."

".. "Ah! The cleansing tools room! What an idea! I think I may be able to shoot out through the key-hole… Let's try it out on that old documents sack… Boss! I've got a hideout from where I can easily shoot the blackmailer! What about ya?"… "I've got one where I receive the whole load of bullets!"…"

"Dumb luck, as usual. When F chooses a hiding spot then M will come around to foil the idea. It's some wonder they still work together."

"Yeah. Some wonder alright."

"Puku! News, news! Bubble News! The newest "Vermy Cream" will make ya gain everlasting beauty! De puku!"

"Lovely. Ikada somehow contacted Bubble Man to come up with a new scam to sell off to some naïve girl or woman."

"That gal…!"

"… "Man! Well! Sheesh! Only you would think of hiding in a sack like a premature potato~! And the electric trap? When he tries to open it from the other side he'll be zapped and…!"… "No! Take it off, take it off. Then the light bill goes sky-high and Mr. Super turns black."… "Who…?"… KNOCK, KNOCK! "Huh? Mr. Super!"… "There! Have electric trap! Have it!"… NGNGNG! "Boss! The blackmailer came! We only have solution B 47 J left!"… M disguises as an Eastern citizen with the tunic and the shoes and the turbant! "Let the Evil Goddess guide your path, desert babbon!"… "HUH?"… F pops out from within it and hits the guy with a baton thus rendering him KO!"… One hit KO!"

"How original."

"Yeah. Truly."

"… "Good hit, Boss! Seven-sized!" … "Let's check those documents! B-but there are payment letters here… Look: one's signed by Mr. Super!"… "Huh? What did you do to the term-car conductor?"… "Conductor? Car?"… "Yes! The car I bought on terms in a moment of madness! He comes here each month with the letter… And threatens to bring it to court if I don't pay it… And then they'd take my car… And I couldn't go anywhere! It'd be maddening!"…"

"Sheesh. Another struggle in vain because there was no blackmail: Mr. Super is one of those who feel the need to boast about going everywhere with their cars. If he didn't like paying the terms, then cancel the sale and ask for the money back!" Meiru sighed.

"Moment of madness alright. Why didn't you quit it the first month and waited all these months to tell someone else? Look at what ya caused."

"… "But… Hey! What are ya doing with my car? Are ya mad? You're gonna scratch it!"… "It won't stop, right?"… "Oh no! Not at all! I placed the biggest boulder atop the accelerator."… They tie Mr. Super to a tree and load the car with boulders so that it remains on accelerating mode while they walk away!"

"He got it coming."

"Yeah. For making such a fuss of that…"

"So! This is it for today's broadcast! Tomorrow: the last short story in this album, "Asian Flu"! Teaser: sneeze, genies and escapes! So! V!" Video Man began.

"B!"

"N!"

"VBN! Off Air!"

"Well. Can't say it didn't help to switch the mood around…"

"Guess that."

"Yo! Missy! Where's the Mettool SP ambush?" Napalm Man asked from outside the firewall.

"There's none. Gray – chan tricked ya."

"Wha~t? That Gray punk!"

"Guess Sieg is involved, too." Leon sighed.

"Those 3! Someone should shower them with cold water!"

"Truly, Sakurai – san."

"Is Ikada onboard today?"

"No. I haven't seen her but I did spot Mr. Secretary talking to Sandra and looking about to explode." Leon admitted.

"No wonder."

"No wonder oh wondering wonderer of wonders." Fighting Cyclone's voice laughed close by.

"You're the cyclone rascal!"

"I'm flattered! _Apocalypse Now_!"

"Sheesh! I don't have anythin' to do with that movie!" Napalm Man growled back.

"Heh, heh, heh. Let the napalm hit the man!"

"T-this RASCAL!"

"Bite my shiny armor! Over here~!"

"Huff. Handle that somehow, Napalm Man. I'm going to go to the deck to enjoy some fresh air. Good-bye." Leon sighed.

"The summer madness on the work…"

"And bringing chaos along, huh?"

"Indeed. We've known that for some years already. And there have been happenings too… Like that… You know… What we were talking about a while ago." Meiru sighed.

"Yeah… But as you said, Meiru – chan, we must look forward to the future and not let the past haunt us."

"Of course. Oh well. Maybe I can finish the piano lesson later on: I guess a walk will do me well and I need to buy some groceries." Meiru stood up and stretched.

Meiru headed for her room and picked her wallet before picking a set of keys and the PET: she turned on the radio, locked all windows and set on the alarm before exiting the house and locking it up.

_A change of airs will do well, yeah. And I won't let those villains of last summer get away with it either… Let's look on ahead and live on! Heh, heh, heh! _In the summer time~_! _Summer high_! _Bright summer_! La-la-la~!_

15:15 PM (Philippines Time)…

"… Kuroban! I've come. Stick out your hide. This time no – one will interrupt this."

"The usual seasonal competition! Eh, Burai?"

"Whatever. Just show up."

"Fine. Let's go to somewhere special: no interlopers will come in!"

"Whatever the ever."

"Hit a vibe? Maybe you'd like Rock Man to see this?"

"Rock Man is unrelated."

"Of course. Heh, heh, heh."

Burai showed up on the "Shunoros" base and looked up at the balcony while demanding for Kuroban to show up which he did: he chuckled and looked amused while Burai was dull and unimpressed.

"By the way! I've got a trump card."

"Oh yeah?"

"… "The Legendary City – Atlantis"…!"

"You don't mean that you intend for us to fight in the sunken Mu Continent, right?" Burai grumbled.

"Oh no. Another mighty city… Our ancestors' residence… Those who granted your ancestors and mine with superb technology…"

"One of the space-cities of the "Creators", huh… Slur did talk to me about them." Burai admitted.

"Heh, heh, heh. And there are very wide spaces there: we can fight in the air without breaking anything. Follow me. Bulai – chan."

"You jerk…!" He got a twitch over the right eye.

"Time to play "oni": don't forget the _Fierce Deity_ mask, Bulai – chan!"

Kuroban laughed and warped to reappear into the air and Burai gave chase: he shot his fists of energy but Kuroban merely seemed to slow time around him and gracefully dodge with some acrobatics: Burai fumed and Kuroban grinned at him before he ran into a partly-visibile portal and entered it.

"The guy's into _The Matrix_ now? What an _otaku_."

Burai entered the portal too and they ended up in a square made of up materialized data floating about 10 meters over the space-city's main plaza: Kuroban drew his sword and shield while Burai drew his blade: they ran towards each other and clashed: Kuroban suddenly dematerialized his weapons and began to deliver several fist attacks but Burai dodged by moving the head to the opposite side or ducking: he jumped a small stretch of terrain away and decided to go for the same tactic: Kuroban used his crossed arms to block some of the blows: Burai then grinned and made his right fist turn metallic: he delivered a blow to the navel area and Kuroban gasped from the impact which apparently knocked the air outta him: he stepped back in an erratic manner and Burai tried to charge again: Kuroban ducked and gripped the extended right arm with both hands to pull Burai into the ground by using a _judo_ key: Burai ended up face-up on the ground and Kuroban loomed over him to begin delivering punches to his chest: Burai warped and appeared behind Kuroban but he warped as well and got some further distance away from Burai.

"Heh! It's gotten intense, Bulai – chan."

"Stop with the nicknames. I never had patience for them." Burai dully replied.

"Heh, heh, heh! Guess they told you they were fruitless." Kuroban snickered.

"Not like they help you win."

"No. But they help you feel clever."

"How stupid."

"How brilliant, Lestrade."

"Che."

"Hit a vibe~?"

"Hra~h!"

"Gotcha."

Burai rushed for Kuroban but he snickered and stepped to the side while Burai slid along the road without control until he fell down into the ground next to the central tree: he groaned and managed to get up while Kuroban landed in front of him.

"Damn it! You put oil in the Wave Road!"

"Oil Man was busy."

"How original." Burai fumed.

"Heh, heh, heh. I can see it coming…"

"What?"

"The descent of the High One!"

"If you mean your crappy robot then it's already "descended": it's inside of you lowlife's base to begin with." Burai was unimpressed.

"Details, details…" He seemingly tried to downplay them.

Kuroban suddenly gasped and jumped to the right to dodge Burai's sword as it flied towards him from behind: Burai gripped it and quickly jumped into the air to hit the floor with it and spawn 8 purplish flames: some of them hit Kuroban and he grumbled so he drew his weapons and rushed for Burai while covering with the shield: Burai's attack bounced off but he then used his "ghostly" right hand (while switching the sword to the left hand) to make it through the shield and grip Kuroban's left wrist: an electrical surge came out instead and travelled up Burai's right arm: he pulled the arm away and Kuroban delivered a swing with the sword which formed a shallow cut across Burai's chest from the right shoulder to close to the left hip: Burai grumbled and formed his Mu Rejection to block off the next attack.

"You had an electric bracelet in the wrist!"

"I foresaw this after what you did with Magic Man."

"Che. You saw it?"

"Yeah… I'm always on the lookout… Heh, heh, heh."

"Che. Whatever. Shadow Ball!"

"What? Uack!"

The unexpected attack did hit Kuroban but when Burai rushed in he had to dodge an attempt to attack him with the sword from the front: he circled around Kuroban while Kuroban recovered his bearings and tried to keep up with Burai's movements.

"That won't work twice!"

"I knew it. It was worth a try, anyway."

"Hmpf! Then take this on for a try! "Bewitching Light"!"

Kuroban produced a sudden series of quick and short flashes: Burai tried to close his eyes and shield his shades with the right arm but it was clear that some of it had taken effect: he looked like he found it hard to focus his sight and, when he tried to attack Kuroban, he tripped and met the floor: he groaned and tried to stand up.

"… "Evil Eye"!"

A mass of purplish energy formed and hit Burai next: he tried to get a hold of his bearings and suddenly got rammed by Kuroban using the shield but most of the damage was absorbed by the Mu Rejection: Burai countered with an upper-fist which did knock Kuroban into the ground but he quickly recovered.

"Heh! "Astonish"!"

Kuroban delivered a sudden attack and Burai flinched before he recovered and kicked Kuroban's navel area: he groaned and slid back some distance before recovering.

"No more lil tricks! Eat raw punch!"

"Eat this!"

Both discarded their weapons and began a fisting showdown: they ended up panting after a couple minutes and having delivered each other several blows in a row: they then switched to kicking each other but their kicks didn't make contact and were blocked by the other: Kuroban attempted to jump and shoulder-tackle Burai but he dodged in time and Kuroban had to halt his movement: Kuroban charged with the fists ready and Burai merely ducked to dodge and deliver two blows to the navel area: Kuroban warped and tried to drop from above but failed because Burai warped to another position as well: they both stopped as some weird patterns of light formed in the sky.

"What's that?" Burai questioned.

"Like I'd know. Maybe it's some decoration program."

"Whatever! "Shadow Strike"!"

"What? Ugrah!"

Burai's "shadow" suddenly gained mass behind Kuroban and delivered some blows: a mysterious purplish wind suddenly began to blow across the area.

"… "Mysterious Wind"! It'll raise my stats! Eat this!"

"Like it'll work!"

They went for another round of beating and punching before delivering one final blow to their faces: they collapsed on the floor, sitting, and panted to recover.

"Fine. It'll let it at this today… But next time will be different!"

"Heh… Sure… Come back anytime… Shigeru Ookido!" He snickered.

"Sheesh."

Burai warped out of the space-city while Kuroban laughed aloud…

19:19 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Ready, Andy?"

"Sure. Miquel – kun. Beta. You guys got the back covered?"

"Yeah. We're waiting for the signal."

"Delivered by signal fellow."

"How original."

"Don't be so dry, Beta X!"

"As usual."

"Yeah. As usual."

Kage and Andy were crouching behind a large container near a two-story discrete house near the port area: Kage had a gun ready and Andy his Buster as well: they were talking by radio with Zarashe and Beta X at the same time too.

"I've got the rear windows on sight: the 3 of them for me!" Tozukana reported.

"Curtains closed but windows open… They might jump out…" Lily warned them.

"… Side… Cover…" Qong drily reported.

"There's a side door on the right. But anyone who tries to run off will be knocked out soon enough." Tom announced.

"Good! Strategy begins in… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Start!"

Kage rushed out and shot a guard on the right hip: the guard collapsed and soon began to snore as Andy blew up the door's lock with the Buster: they shoulder-tackled in and ran inside of the foyer as sounds rang out further inside and to the right.

"3 down." Qong reported.

"6 sardines on the basket!" Tozukana laughed.

"Rear: secured." Zarashe reported.

"Some fellows with Tokarev guns…" Beta X reported.

"The Sharo Mafia?" Andy wondered.

"Not necessarily. They might think it's the best gun ever. Like how Ocelot was in love with the SAA despite being from Sharo…"

"Good point."

Zarashe and Beta X joined them in the main room where there were 2 sofas, a desk, and a TV: there also was a closed photo album and an ashtray with several cigarette butts on it: 4 men were on the floor snoring by now.

"Hey… That guy there… Didn't he show up in the papers?" Andy signaled one of them.

"Let's secure the upper floor and then we'll see who it is."

The group of four rushed to their stairs and headed into the upper floor where there were 6 rooms the doors of which were shut and a bathroom at the end of the corridor: Kage and Zarashe drew grenades and covered their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs: they threw the grenades and smoke ensued.

"Fire! Fire!" They began to yell.

Hurried sounds rang out from inside of the right-side rooms and some men (6 in total) ran out from them only to be knocked out by Zarashe's and Kage's rounds.

"Calm down! It's just smoke!" Kage called out.

He and Andy ran into one room and found that it only had a bed and two chairs: the bed only had the mattress and there was a chained teenager in bondage gear there: he could be around Leon's age: Kage touched his neck with the right hand to feel his pulse and listened.

"It'd seem he's drugged. Let's take this stuff out and bring all of them out of the rooms: the police will soon be here."

"Yeah. Standard operating procedure…"

Between the 4 of them they managed to get 6 teenagers of similar ages and heights out of the rooms and into the corridors: they took out their gear and temporarily dressed them in _yukata_ found in the rooms: they all were drugged and unconscious.

"They went missing after a party 5 days ago… It must've been a large group of assailants taking into account there were 6 of them and they all were from the _karate_ club…" Kage sighed.

"Yeah. Despite our best efforts… There'll always be morale-deprived men who will want this. And as long as someone is ready to pay for this… Others will make it happen…" Andy grumbled.

"And sometimes it goes beyond money, too…" Kage icily muttered.

"Yeah. Like in Leon – kun's case or in Ernst's case…"

"The police are coming! ETA: 3 minutes." Tozukana reported.

"Scene… away from." Qong drily reported.

"We've already gotten into the bikes and we'll meet at the usual point, guys." Tom told them.

"There's no danger of the preys running away either. The rounds have a minimum duration of 30 minutes." Lily shrugged.

The four guys nodded in agreement as the sirens became audible and they ran out: they climbed into a black Hyundai parked close by and left the area: Andy looked out through the rear-view mirror and saw the riot police rush in after the van stopped: others began to catch the knocked out guards.

"Good. This should prove to these creeps that we won't turn a blind eye and pretend they're not there." Andy muttered.

"Of course. That's another of Golden Star's goals too." Kage calmly replied as he drove.

"Now I remembered!" Beta X gasped.

"What? Your date with Lily?" Zarashe joked.

"Oh come on."

"The guy on the ground floor?"

"Yeah… The head of "Arado Consulting Inc."… A small shady business with an ambiguous service sheet… And it received a mysterious loan not too long ago…" Beta X explained.

"Oh yeah. He was being investigated because there were suspicions of money laundering. And now it's been proven that the guy was a crook and the whole business thing must be a means to launder money. The Net Police should be called to have a look there." Andy guessed.

"Uncle Merton's enchanted conspirers!"

"Yeah, yeah. We know that tune."

"Yo! Miquel! Ya free tonight?" Tozukana asked.

"I'm afraid not."

"What, you doing it with the Boss again?" She tried to seemingly provoke him.

"And what if? Will that help you beat Qong's score?" Kage calmly replied without beating an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah! We gotta settle the score, Leiter!" She called out.

"… Come anytime."

"Instead of babbling… How about you try to avoid an accident? Focus on the bike's conduction." Lily fumed.

"Or they'll take out your driving license next." Tom warned.

"Che. Alright, party-crushers!"

"We'll have to TALK later about that." _Noir_ suddenly burst into the radio band and sounded icy.

"Yikes. I forgot this was being monitored!"

"I will NOT tolerate any insults to MY dignity or ANYONE'S dignity! Am I CLEAR enough?"

"Y-yeah! Clear as water, Boss!"

"I hope so! I'm being fed up with this FARCE! Gotcha?" _Noir_ grumbled to display his annoyance.

"Y-yeah, I know! N-no need to call my aunt!" She gulped.

"Then PROVE it. By behaving LIKE AN ADULT. And not like some CAREFREE CHILD."

"Told ya." Lily muttere.d

"Che."

"… Heat… Failure…" Qong drily muttered.

"If you lose the coolness how can you hope to beat the VR simulator's sniping score, anyway?" Tom asked Tozukana.

"Sheesh."

"By the way, Boss… Did they "exile" Ikada – san?" Kage asked.

"Oh yes. President Hades sent her away for a weeks' time. Her access permits have been revoked and Sandra – san will be monitoring her calls to make sure she doesn't play with anyone's dignity. Really. She only manages to disappoint President Hades as of late."

"I know." Zarashe sighed.

"Let's not let that affect the morale." Beta X calmly suggested.

"Yeah. I wasn't intending to let it, though. But I think that a bulky guy will try to come for me soon enough… I've felt his stalking attempts… It's about time we showed him how outdated he's become."

"Give him a lesson about the scale of power, my friend." Legato invited.

"OK. Leave it up to me… And to Slur – sama's power, too."

Andy smirked and the others chuckled under their breaths…


	19. Chapter 19: Of power and ability

**Chapter 19: Of power and ability**

11:37 AM (Japan Time), Saturday July the 23rd…

"… There they are. How predictable."

"Yeah, I know. Oh well. You just watch from here, Alex. I'll show this guy how outdated he's become."

"Heh. The guy had it coming!"

"Sure, Atarasei… Let's get ready to draw out the "Ryuusei Form" and show this guy how frail he is… First let's let him take some shots and see if he's learnt anything new. Then we finish the guy off."

"I like that plan."

Andy and Alex were standing near the edge of one of the Reverse Internet platforms and looking down towards the Virus Lab ruins: they looked amused and their Operators did sound amused as well.

"Hop!"

Andy dropped down into the ruins where Laser Man was waiting at: he'd already loaded up energy on his cannons and the squares on his palms were glowing with an eerie neon light.

"So you came! Golden Star's Andy!"

"So you're Laser Man, huh? Alex told me plenty about you… And so did Atarasei as well." He smirked.

"Che."

"So. What new tricks do you have up your sleeves? Industrial light & magic's newest laser variety?"

"Die~!"

Laser Man suddenly shot two large and thick beams of energy from his guns at Andy followed by energy waves: Andy merely grinned and formed a hole beneath him to drop into the ground: the attacks shot past his position and impacted some of the debris, blowing them up into pieces.

"What!"

Andy emerged from behind Laser Man and gripped him with a martial art key before jumping backwards and, with some effort, managing to toss Laser Man into the debris further ahead: he growled and quickly stood up while shooting several rounds of laser like they were a machinegun's bullets: Andy simply jumped into the air using his boots' jets and began to dodge: he was suddenly struck with a giant laser that became visible and that came down from the sky and hit the floor: he groaned and got to his feet as Laser Man shot his large-sized lasers again: Andy formed a shield with a mirror built into its surface and the beams got reflected back at Laser Man, hitting his upper chest: he recoiled and growled as he aimed his right arm at one piece of debris and made it float into the air, spin, and fly at top speed for Andy: he dug a hole again and dodged the improvised attack to emerge in front of Laser Man and shoot a Chare Shot at blank-point range.

"I forgot about your Satellite Laser but no big deal. You guys always get stuck with the same pattern but I don't."

"Damn repulsive brat! Don't underestimate the power of the "Darkloids", those who live in the "Dark Cyber World"! Our power shall cover this world and we shall rule it all!"

"That's what ya tried to years before along Styx, yeah. But it failed in the end because you underestimated your opponents' tenacity and strength and because YOU wanted to run away when you could've still fought and make a difference." Andy taunted.

"Like Andy says… You told me that a "Darkloid" stood there and fought to the end. I only obeyed what ya taught me!" Atarasei taunted.

"Damn you, Styx!"

"No. Damn your limited imagination. And your cowardice." Atarasei took out his sunglasses to reveal reddish irises and he had a very smug smile across his face.

"Cowardice? It was a tactical withdrawal! Regrouping!"

"Shoo, shoo. Loopholes, loopholes. Ya wanted to run. But I wouldn't go down like a coward. I try to let you share some glory and that's how you rewarded me?" Atarasei sighed in a resigned manner.

"Share some glory? YOU should've given me YOUR power!" Laser Man growled.

"Like it'd done much of a difference. I was still pretty much fresh and my body wasn't as beaten up as yours. But oh well. We could spend weeks arguing like this like we did back on last year's autumn and winter when Prince Kuroban revived us. I soon learnt that he expected me to overcome the pathetic self I was. And I've done so! You, on the other hand, only managed to anger Dread Baron – sama and the Prince. And "XY" too: Anger Man!" Atarasei continued.

"Grrr!"

"Hit a vibe? How about you try some self-searching? Doubt you'll find anything, though. Save for vanity."

"Indeed!" "XY" joined the chat.

"Huh! Lord XY!"

"Be careful, Laser Man! Ultimately… It was I who collected your data and assembled it so that Prince Kuroban could rebuild you. I knew what to expect of you when I brought you over. Yet I still thought there might a way out. Maybe I have been too _naïve_ with that."

"Gruh!" He growled under his breath.

"Alright. Enough chit-chat. Let's resume this. Watch on, foolish relic of a forgotten past… This is POWER! Slur – sama's power! And this will teach you how outdated your really are." Andy signaled Laser Man with his right hand's index finger.

"What fitting titles, are they not? Citizen." "XY" sneered.

"… Maybe so." He seemingly tried to pose as cool-headed and indifferent.

"Let's go, Miquel – kun!"

"Roger! Full Synchro achieved! Open the floodgates!"

"Hra~h!"

Energy began to flow out of Andy's chest emblem and gave way to a red and black energy "cocoon" about two meters tall and hovering about five centimeters above the ground: all lighting around them suddenly dimmed and Laser Man gasped.

"… And such… I shall display Slur – sama's power… To these fools who cling to non-existent glory…!" Andy's voice echoed out of nowhere but it seemed to icier than usual.

The "cocoon" exploded and the energy release dropped him into the ground: he managed to look up and gasped at what he saw.

"… Ryuusei Form…!"

"W-WHAT'S THAT?"

"The present, foolish "Darkloid", the present…"

Andy's new form had an "advanced" look to it yet it also looked terrifying.

The helmet's design was rather peculiar because it wasn't a full helmet to begin with: the sides of it had two gray metallic shapes the form of which was slightly reminiscent of the Alphabet "L" character: a fluorescent green incision had been cut in the part adjacent to the face while the larger segments had a yellow-colored incision cut into it.

The segment covering the head was built using a blackish material and could be divided in four sections: the centermost, built like a triangle aiming south and which also covered the forehead: it ended slightly over the start of the nose.

The western and eastern sections of the head's protection had been shaped after diamonds aiming NW and NE plus having green fluorescent material running down the sides to join with the "L" shapes.

The rearmost piece was a mere curved segment connecting the lateral pieces.

A gray metallic triangle was drawn on the middle of the head from where a black-colored fin emerged: the fluorescent green line divided it into two unequal portions: front and rear, and the rear one was painted gray.

Andy's hair came out of behind the helmet given how it was a "partial protection" model.

Red thick shades covered the eyes and nose plus a small grayish metallic piece of armor was built to protect his chin and lower jaw: the skin over his neck was black in color.

Andy's eyes, visible under the transparent red shades, displayed a total lack of emotion and they surprisingly had switched to a mix of red and blue as if to display his current "Full Synchro" status.

The chest area had a metallic spheroid protruding out of it and a green-colored incision had been cut on the middle of it: the upper front half was colored in a white-like color while the rear upper half was black: however, the whole lower half had chosen gray as color to be used: the piece of armor below it and connecting to the rest of the body shared the same color.

The armor's colors were combined in the rest of the body below the chest segment: the flanks of the body had grey armor with green fluorescent edges while the central part of the body was tinted in pitch blackish coloring.

Regarding his arms' design, a black piece of armor covered the shoulders which were encompassed by metallic spheroids: these spheroids were not "complete" spheroids.

That was because they had a cavity from where the arms emerged: a thin fluorescent green circular line was placed close to the upper edge where the armor was colored in black color and formed a dome with a hole at the topmost part of each spheroid.

The inner edge of each spheroid was painted using a yellow palette of coloring: these spheroids also had an indentation signaling the separation between each half.

His arms' skin was black in coloring while the armor built over his wrists was painted using two colors: black for the upper half and gray for the lower half: a small thin piece of armor emerging from the upper half and shaped like the Alphabet "L" character turned 90º to the right was also present there: the hands' skin was also colored using black coloring.

The legs' armor, however, included two shapes which were a pair of combined cones (fused and aiming up and down) colored metallic gray.

They were set within a green cavity extending from the hips to past the knees.

The colors then split as the outer edge of each leg was colored in gray armor while the inner edge were colored black: a green fluorescent line marked the division between them: the lines then drew another cavity which included gray metallic armor plating inside of it.

The feet armor was split in rear and front halves respectively colored black and metallic gray: a fin formed on the front half and it had a green fluorescent line crossing it on its front.

Two discs having an external black edge, an inner thin yellowish edge and a red dome built on the core were set on the upper ends of the shoulder-mounted-pieces: yellowish energy emanated from them and made them look powerful and imposing.

Lastly, two extensions came out from behind the body which happened to be black-colored frames supporting reddish wings which were made of energy flowing from the shorter starting section to the larger outwards section.

"Are you ready to feel how your power turns upon you? Black End Galaxy~!"

Andy lifted his hands and formed a small spheroid of blackish energy which he then dropped behind Laser Man: it suddenly grew into a large black hole which began to suck everything around it: Laser Man tried to resist the pull.

"Ugro~h!"

Andy drew a reddish blade on his right forearm and boosted on forward cutting the air where Laser Man was at and opening a large wound on his upper chest: Andy flew past the black hole which suddenly collapsed and the shockwave originating from its implosion sent Laser Man flying across the area again: he hit the debris and groaned from the blow yet he somehow got back to his feet.

"W-what power! And that was… The very energy of the "Dark Cyber World": processed and "sterilized"…!" He realized.

"Yes. Exactly. Sterilized means that all of its "corrupting" properties have been removed… Too long of an exposure could corrupt Navis but Rock Man, Blues, Search Man and the others were there for too short of a time-span to be significantly affected. But then again that was done in purpose so…" "XY" announced.

"There's MORE! Red Gaia Eraser!"

"What!"

The disks hovering inches from the shoulders flew into the air and then assumed inclined positions aiming diagonally towards Laser Man: they produced continuous streams of reddish energy which travelled across the ground drawing the Alphabet "X" character: before Laser Man could recover from this attack Andy formed a red beam which he shot straight at him: a gigantic dome-shaped explosion spread on the spot and wrecked a large part of the floor just as lighting began to return to show a crater easily ten meters wide and three deep and filled with the debris: Andy merely hovered over it and looked indifferent.

"Mugr… uogh! What… power…!"

"Did you understand it? Your age is long gone. You are no threat by now and will not be a threat anymore. A fool who clings into arrogance and ego and refuses to acknowledge they committed mistakes…" "XY" calmly announced.

"N-no… Not yet…! Recovery 1000!"

"What?" "XY" seemed to frown, even.

Laser Man's body glowed with a purplish glow and suddenly healed the damage attained: he laughed and jumped towards Andy but he wasn't surprised in the least.

"Meteor Light Barrage!"

"What! There's more?"

Andy jumped into the air and hovered to then shoot some spheroids of light which hit Laser Man on different spots of his body and knocked him outta the air and into the ground.

"This isn't all, ya know!" Kage sneered while panting.

"Elemental Cyclone!"

Thousands of greenish leaves began to spin around a column of winds and gave way to a cyclone which travelled across the air: Laser Man tried to shoot it with the lasers but they got bounced off and the cyclone hit him several times in a row.

"Mugrack!"

"… I see… An illegal Battle Chip… It recovers further energy by using Cyber World energy…" "XY" had seemingly found out how that Battle Chip worked like in the meanwhile.

"Thunderbolt Blade~!"

Andy drew a sword the blade of which was shaped like a thunderbolt and hit Laser Man 3 times in a row by swinging right and left: he then hit the floor with it and a thunderbolt rained down from the sky thus landing on Laser Man and electrocuting him.

"Grugra~h…! I'll have this power…! Become the Ultimate…! Bury the traitors…! And rule over the Cyber World…! By freeing the traped "Dark Cyber World"…!" Laser Man howled.

"That's in vain, Laser Man. The Ryuusei Program can only be equipped by Andy and any attempts to mess with it will result in its self-destruction wiping anything in 50 meters and delivering 1000 HP of damage."

"W-WHA~T?"

"Slur – sama is pretty paranoid when it comes to this stuff: sometimes paranoia pays off. They ensured during development that no enemy would ever lay their hands on it."

"Atomic Blazer!"

"Shit!"

Andy accumulated energy and shot a gigantic stream of flames at Laser Man thus leaving large burnt marks on him.

"And this too! Dynamic Wave!"

Andy spun upon his axis and formed four large tidal waves which kicked Laser Man away and he collapsed again from the attained damage: Andy then landed on the ground.

"Release."

The "cocoon" formed again and the energy flew back inside before Andy returned to his normal form, panting: Alex dropped down and helped him lean into him.

"Chance! Satellite…!"

"Cancellation!" "XY" commanded.

Laser Man suddenly froze in that spot and remained unable to move but he could seemingly speak.

"W-what…!"

"How MANY times do I need to REPEAT it? NO DELETION! And NO COWARD ATTACKS! You yourself have proven it: that you are but a coward who cannot properly fight! You were intending to use Styx as shield to begin with and then run away to try again in a dirtier manner! Styx read your intentions and such absorbed you to prove that he would not go down as a coward!" "XY" hissed.

"C-che!" He grumbled.

"Oh yeah. I saw it coming miles away. The guy was too readable. Why did the guy have me absorb Forte's power? Chaos Unison? Oh no! He wanted me to prove it was capable and then take it for his own hide! And then say he's the ultimate!" Atarasei grumbled.

"As I thought! Indeed! Some days in cold sleep will do you all wonders, I swear." "XY" grumbled.

The "Jet – Black Phoenix" phenomenon was triggered and Laser Man was pulled out of the scene while both Navis warped into the real world and entered Kage's room: he was waiting there, sitting on a chair, next to the desk along with Atarasei.

"Suck on that, you motherfucker." Atarasei sneered.

"How about we play the last broadcast, "Asian Flu"?" Kage asked.

"Heh… It'll do to improve the mood…" Andy agreed.

"Let's go for it!" Alex looked animated.

"… VBN! Welcome to this season's final broadcast! "Asian Flu"! Start: a dog stands in front of a kiosk! "Woof, woof, woof!"… "Well! Here's the morning dog! Here's the newspaper, little one!"… "Woof!" … "It's already been 2 months since I had them over… Guess the owner will eventually come to pay them off!"… "Heh, heh! Ever since I tried out his dog disguise 2 months ago I get the newspaper for free! Devil! They say there's Asian flu epidemic and it's truly contagious! I'll have to be extra careful: when I catch that flu even my glasses shiver!"… "AT… AT… AAT! GRFJTX!"… "Huff! Another little bit and I get bathed in microbes!"… M stuffs the newspaper into a guy's mouth! "I'll get home and have 2 kilos of anti-flu vaccine!"… "AT… AT…!"… "A~T…!"… "Devil! Trapped between 2 fronts! No running spot! "CHOO~!"… "CHOO~!"… "Hey… Was there a guy here or I imagined it?"… "No, no, I saw it! Guess he got pulverized!"… M jumps up!"

"The only way out: up!" Kage grinned.

"An epidemic, alright." Andy whistled in surprise.

"Let the Asian hit the flu!" Atarasei laughed.

"How original." Alex didn't find it funny.

"…"Why! What a lamp I found! If only it was Aladin's one and the genie showed up…"… "Huff! That was close!"… BRO~M! M jumps out from within the ground just as a vagabond rubbed a lamp! "IT IS! IT IS! A GENIE~! I want a palace, a ship and…!"… "What a bother! That guy gotta think I'm Santa Claus! Aha! I'm home: safe from contamination! Well, Boss? Any news?"… "Well, yes. I've got the "Asian flu" and…"… ZIU~! CRASH! "M-Mortadelo! What's the matter? No trace! Has he gone fetch tobacco! Well. While he gets back I'll tune this chime clock…"… "Don't come any closer, you germ carrier! ZAPE, ZAPE!"… "What the hell is wrong with the guy? He's being stupider than usual. Well. I'm gonna have the breakfast!"… "Found out! I've been found out! I'm doomed!"… M had hid beneath the table!"

"Why do I get the hunch it's all a misunderstanding?" Alex sighed in defeat and could seemingly guess something.

"Yeah. I get that vibe too." Andy sighed.

"Heh, heh, heh!" Their Operators chuckled.

"Oscar – kun takes a lot more off Kage – kun than you." Alex whispered to Andy.

"I know. Ironies of life, I guess. Or maybe because he stuck too much around Eisei and ya know the guy…"

"Huff."

"… "Gone! What's the matter with the guy? Mortadelo! Come here immediately!"… CRACK! BOM! A lamp falls down along with M! "GRRR! These modern lamps don't bear any weight! I don't know if I'm safe on this room… I need to think of an escape plan! Let's see: window to the right and door to the left. So if Boss comes in I run through the left and…!"… "So here you were, huh?"… "BOSS! Quick! The plan! Door to the left so… I run off through the door!"… DZING! "Devil! Have you gone mad or what?"… "How silly! Of course: when I turned around right becomes left and left becomes right and…"… CRONCH! "Concrete ground… Ow!"…"

"So he jumped off the window 'cause he mixed his bearings and swapped them, eh?"

"… "Well! I think I finally am safe! If I can get home without meeting with the Boss… I did it! I did it! I'm in my safe haven! What a day! I'm beaten!"… "Man! Finally! I've been waiting for you for 2 hours and…"… F was sitting on the armchair! "OUA~H!"… CRASH" Him! HIM AGAIN!"… BOUM! "Yes, hurry it up! A frightening blow against the sidewalk's edge… The shockwave has knocked down 7 street lights!"… F rushes to the hospital where M is all bandaged up! "Well! Will you tell me once and for all what…?"… "AH! BOSS!"… "No, no and NO! You don't run away without explaining this time around!"… He nails one of the bandages on the ground while M tries to run out! "Don't come closer! You've got the Asian flu~!"… "Yes, of course! "Asian Flu": it's the codename for the operation to arrest Choina spies acting in-country. Here's the plan to be followed and…!"…"

"I knew it." Both Navis sighed.

"Man! Who came up with that name?" Kage laughed.

"Guess someone who thought it wouldn't call for attention taking into account the ongoing epidemic…"…"

"… "But… Have ya gone mad? Get me outta here? This water has a very odd taste!"… "GRRR! Take "Asian Flu"! Take this!"… "Test tub with broth having 7 million Asian Flu germs. Watch out! It spreads just by sight!"… M, donning an anti-biological suit, closes M inside! And such ends this album, our dear public! Video!"

"Burner!"

"Needle!"

"VBN! See you next season!"

"At last." The Navis sighed in relief.

"Heh, heh, heh. Now that was a cool way to end the season!"

"Yeah! M is the one who goes through all blows this time around!"

"Guys? Can I come in?"

"Sure, Oriol."

Kuroshiro came in through the connecting door along with Legato and joined them in sitting next to the table.

"Yeah. It was a fun short story: it was slightly different from the usual style, too… Lately M was getting several of the blows too. He got some of them coming, truly." Kuroshiro laughed.

"So, my comrades… What's with the long faces? Cheer up!" Legato told the Navis.

"That's easy for ya to say, Legato~…" Andy complained.

"It gets exasperating." Alex added.

"Speaking of which, Netto – kun… This season… Well. You know."

"Yeah. For some reason… I didn't feel like it. Maybe another day."

"Same for me… Sorry, Legato." Andy apologized.

"Oh, don't worry. I had fun with others, anyway. Enzan was so action-eager…" Legato shrugged.

"Heh! Hacker – sama has some fetishes too!" Atarasei chuckled.

"Oh yeah? Guess someone around here is to blame." Alex directed a glare at Kage.

"Oi, oi." Kage laughed.

"Maybe I'm to blame as well." Kuroshiro admitted.

"By the way… It sounded like "XY" was intending to place those guys into cold sleep… So that means it'll bring forth a "break" until the next "season"… Maybe it'll be short or maybe it'll be long… We can't know yet…" Kage told Kuroshiro.

"Oh well. We've still got the whole of August ahead of us. The mood has greatly improved too… Let's enjoy this summer, guys."

"Of course. We should go to the beach one day. I miss the flavor of sand and sea…" Atarasei grinned.

"By the way… How is Leon like, Oriol? Has he gotten in a better mood or is he still somewhat defeated?" Andy asked.

"Oh don't worry. He looks like he's in high spirits. I lent him my copy of _The Last Story_ and my Wii to let him play and have fun. I think he missed something to have fun with…" Kuroshiro admitted.

"That's good. We don't want him to feel uncomfortable. Speaking of which, what have Agoras and Joel been up to?"

"Agoras? Oh yeah. He attended some chemistry congress in Osaka the other day around and made plans to go north with some college buddies but promised to have a line for contact just in case."

"Victor looked like he wanted a change of airs: investigating money laundering for 15 days exhausted him and Agoras." Legato smiled and shrugged.

"No wonder."

"No wonder oh wondering wonderer of wonders."

A PET rang out and Kage drew his: the screen frizzled and Eisei appeared on it while smirking and displaying that he had reddish eye irises as well under his sunglasses.

"Yo. _Danna_. Did ya enjoy our night together?"

"Oh come on. If you're trying to taunt Boss here then it won't work and besides… Who'd want to spend a night together with ya? Apart from Sieg and Urateido, that is."

"Heh, heh, heh. Beware! Legged ducks with non-feathers!"

"It's seven and a half ducks. Moron." Ernst grumbled close by.

"Yikes! I forgot to close the door!"

"GRAY~!" Kuroban roared.

"Yikes!"

"Breaking my rules? I was in a good mood and you spoiled it! Go download more data from the Earth space-city! Now! I don't want you around until evening! Go buy something in some human city: but get out of my sight and hearing!" Kuroban hissed.

"Crap. Eh… See ya!"

The call ended and the group sighed: Kage then stood up and stretched before heading for the door.

"I need some fresh air. Later."

"I'm going out too."

Atarasei joined him and they exited the room: Kuroshiro scratched the back of his head as if being out of ideas.

"Well. What now?" He asked.

"Dunno." Alex admitted.

"Maybe I'll watch some gaming videos."

"I should go check up with Zero to see if there's something we should be in the lookout for."

"I know one: Miss Heiress' pranks." Kuroshiro warned.

"Truly. That little girl… Won't she learn the lesson?"

"I'm afraid the answer is NO." Andy fumed.

"Now, now." Alex tried to calm him down.

"Huh? "Beware of Austrialian flu, my chums. Uncle Merton's favorite nephew."… Oh come on." Kuroshiro read a mail on his PET and sighed.

"Point taken." Legato muttered under his breath.

"Someone shower him with cold water again."

"Oh boy."

09:39 AM (Moscow Time)…

"… Alright. Forte. Watch from there and do not intervene. This is but an exhibition match. We want to try out how much potential and strategy we both have."

"OK."

"… Let us begin. Serenade."

"I am ready, friend."

Serenade and Slur had met in a Cyber World somewhere which had a floating round stage on it: Forte was looking from some distance while sitting on the ground and having binoculars on: Serenade turned to face Slur.

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

Serenade formed his spheres of energy while Slur ran towards him: Serenade quickly moved his curved accessories forward to deflect Slur's incoming attack which was a sword attack: the Sonic Boom ensued but she jumped into the air and formed the sphere of energy on her right hand which she shot at Serenade but he caught it with the right hand and absorbed it in a neat manner: Slur seemed to have expected that and she landed on the ground to zigzag towards Serenade and try to hit him with the sword but he simply brought forward his right hand and blocked the sword's side without being hurt either: Slur tried to form the energy ball in front of Serenade and have it bombard him but he didn't flinch nor show any symptoms of having suffered any actual damage: Slur put some distance between them and swung her sword around to form golden sonic waves which flew towards Serenade: he brought up his defense and bounced them back but Slur jumped over them and flew towards Serenade: he jumped away as Slur calmly landed on the ground and both stopped.

"Wow. It's but begun and neither of them have flinched. Talk about power houses." Forte whistled.

"Truly." Dr. Cossack chuckled.

"Are you holding back, Slur?"

"I thought that my string attack would not be noble on someone like you, Serenade."

"Fair enough. But at this rate we could take hours and get nowhere: how about we increase the output of our attacks?"

"Fine."

Slur began to move quicker and shoot spheres which hit the floor and exploded while Serenade shot his green spheres of energy at a faster rate too: some hit Slur and she flinched but didn't let those stop her quick movements across the air: she then formed the red circle and the energy release hit Serenade fully: he winced but calmly recovered his usual facial expression before jumping into the air and beginning an exchange of attacks with Slur.

"That's some battle." Forte muttered.

"So it would seem."

"Huh! Who are ya?"

"My name is "XY"…"

"You're the "Ghost"? You look like Slur!"

"I know."

"XY" suddenly showed up behind Forte, startling him and making him get to his feet: "XY" shrugged and stood there, watching.

"I wanted to have some fresh air. And I have been interested in seeing how far those two would go."

"So all those rumors weren't true, right?"

"None of them were. I just wanted to try to teach those Navis that they could go beyond the usual. But their ego, impatience and arrogance foiled it all. I put them into cold sleep."

"I see."

"But… Didn't Serenade say it? Slur formed alone without human intervention…" Dr. Cossack argued.

"Someone was interested in her and tried to create a similar Net Navi: a rather philanthropic person… Yet they felt like their time was close and left the task up to me…" He shrugged.

"Oh! I see."

"… Hah!"

"Hah!"

Serenade switched to forming those glowing spheres of light which formed paths around him and then flew towards Slur who dodged, bounced off, returned or took some in: she smiled and formed a sphere of yellow energy around her while Serenade formed a golden one around him: they headed straight for each other and clashed: the resulting shockwave wiped off the stage and Dr. Cossack gasped.

"H-hold it back, you two! This is my PC! You know! Not the Reverse Internet! Speaking of which… How did you get in?" Dr. Cossack complained before asking "XY".

"Ah! I faked my IP." He admitted.

"Sheesh."

"I am sorry. I was curious."

"Fine. Hey! You two! Didn't you hear to me? Stop that!" He grumbled at them.

"I guess they're on their world." Forte guessed.

"Lovely! Go do something!"

"No need to. I shall go."

"XY" jumped into the air and gracefully flew towards them while forming a silver sphere of energy: he waited for the two of them to move again.

"Now!"

He got into the middle of their paths and, when they made contact, they were repelled and they had to land on the ground: "XY" calmly descended and looked at them with a slight reprimanding look.

"Doctor Cossack was telling you 2 to stop."

"Is that so? Oh my. I am sorry. I got focused on it." Serenade apologized with a giggle.

"So you came out in person. "XY"… You and I have a lot to talk about and, preferably, somewhere… reserved." Slur told him.

"Indeed. Should we go right now?"

"Excellent. Wait a minute. President Hades?"

"Mademoiselle. What is the matter?"

"I have some business to attend to in radio silence. I will return to the base in some hours' time."

"Alright."

"Good. Let us go."

"Do follow me."

Both warped away using Slur's own portal while Forte looked on with a slightly puzzled look: Serenade headed over to him and placed his right hand atop the right shoulder.

"So then… Forte. Did you have something to show to me?" He brought up with a smile.

"Huh? Oh yeah. This funny game I found, _Luigi's Mansion_… It's so funny, really!"

"Then let us go."

"I'll be restoring that segment." Dr. Cossack announced.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience. Dr. Cossack."

"Bah. No big deal."

"If you say so…"

Both headed away into another section of the PC and Forte showed Serenade a screen with a play-through of _Luigi's Mansion_: they sat on chairs and Forte grinned.

"OK! So Luigi is told he won a mansion and went to check it out and instead finds this creepy manor thing! He goes inside: lights are out, his bro Mario isn't on sight, doors locked, and on top of that… Ghosts come out! He's almost ghost-napped!" He chuckled.

"Ghost-napped? How original." Serenade smiled.

"So here shows up this guy, Dr. Oyamar, with the "Ghost-vacuum", and reveals that this must be some trap by the ghosts. So Luigi gets the machine to try to capture the ghosts in the manor and find out what happened to Mario."

"I see."

"The manor is huge and is split off in 4 areas, each guarded by a very powerful ghost… Some of them are so-called "Gallery Ghosts" because the Doc had them trapped in frames and exposed them in his own gallery yet they somehow escaped."

"They had someone's help."

"Yeah! But let's sit and watch."

"Alright."

"They say a ghost will visit you by Christmas' Eve." Dr. Cossack chuckled at some joke.

"Ah yes. _A Christmas Carol_, was it? Interesting." Serenade smiled.

"There they show up! Flashlight! And vacuum 'em all! Go, Luigi!"

"Hoh, hoh, hoh. He looks like a child enjoying a film, even."

"Indeed. And I suppose he will have further fun in the days to come."


	20. Chapter 20: A bright summer

**Chapter 20: A bright summer**

08:35 AM (Japan Time), Sunday July the 24th…

"… Catch me, Destruction Now!"

"Sheesh!"

"I'm faster than sound! Right? _Ani-ue-sama_~!"

"Sieg, you rascal…! I was sleeping and you suddenly sneak into my computer somehow to purposely wake me up…! How the heck am I supposed to properly Operate like this?"

"Wash ya face with cold water: chilled by Freeze Man – sama and his freezing breath!"

"The Prince is gonna explode, man!"

"Oh yes! But I'll stay at Urateido's place and we'll have fun!"

"Sheesh. You need to have your head checked, Sieg!"

"Stay quiet, ya lil rascal! Vulcan Arm!"

"Slower than a turtle~! Doom Now!"

"Nyagra~h!"

Napalm Man was trying to fight Venomous Wolf inside of Leon's PC but the guy's quick movements and constant moving made aiming hard for Napalm Man: Leon was Operating Napalm Man while still being half-sleep and he wasn't faring too well either.

"Ya got something under the bed!"

"I tossed it into the sea last year!"

"I don't mean that, man! A _yaoi_ manga!"

"Like Hell!" He growled.

"Oho. Hit a vibe~… Vibe Man dropped by~…"

"Slur – sama will come make mincemeat of you!"

"Heh! I checked before coming: the gal's with that Serenade guy in Sharo 'long Barbatos!"

"Forte!"

"Barbatos Forte: the newest super-hero!"

"How original! Well then! Legato – san…!"

"Gotta be on the bed with his lover!"

"GRHJGVBTJ!" Leon growled something undecipherable.

"What does that mean?" Napalm Man wondered.

"He's playing a videogame!" Leon improvised.

"Don't worry, Golden Leo! I can handle this myself! There! Napalm Bomb: burn, you brat!"

The Napalm Bomb hit the floor next to Venomous Wolf as he stopped to grin and surrounded him with fire but he wasn't impressed: his smug smile grew wider.

"Scary, scary~… Ya want fire? I brought a pal!" He laughed.

"Raging Flame?" Leon tried to guess.

"Oh no! God Blaze Cannon!" He exclaimed.

"Devil. Not the "Winged God Dragon of Ra"!"

"Wha?"

In effect: the "Winged God Dragon of Ra" formed there and loaded up flames on its mouth before shooting a ball of flames and hitting Napalm Man: he growled from the impact and recoiled.

"Shit. That thing's over-powered!"

"Blame Yami Marik – sama~! And his Gorilla Idiom!"

"Gorilla Idiom?" Napalm Man wondered.

"It's a Nico Nico joke… When he speaks in Hieratic…"

"I fail to see the point."

"I fail, too. It'd seem that his monster "Drillago" sounds like "Gorirago", which is "Gorilla Idiom"… And from there the joke became popular: I don't really get it myself but Nico Nico users love to make jokes out of almost everything." Leon explained with a sigh.

"Heh, heh, heh. Beware! Your worst nightmare: the hairdresser!"

"Oh come on."

"Did ya go in a date with Anzu – sama~?"

"I'm not Bakura! I look like the guy but it's not in purpose!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Be glad I'm not Yami Bakura either! I'd bring out Diabound and haunt you all!"

"That was a cheat from the start to the end: that Diabound thing!"

"Yami Bakura – sama~ is fond of cheat codes! Like in the Duel with Yuugi in the Pharaoh's grave!"

"I know. Always had to play in a sneaky manner…!"

"What's this fuss about? An intruder!" Cosmo Man showed up there apparently attracted by the noise.

"Che. They got in the way." Venomous Wolf grumbled.

"Eat this, this and these!" Napalm Man was still trying to hit him.

"What's going on? Leon!"

"Cosmo Man – san: this guy intruded somehow and did it on purpose to annoy me." He grumbled.

"What's Kuroban doing with these folk?"

"What he can! But this guy is too sneaky! Always has been!"

"Thanks for the praising! _Ani – ue – sama_~!"

"That wasn't supposed to be praising and you know it, Sieg!"

"Don't get in the way, Cosmo Man! This guy's my prey! My pride's at stake, man!" Napalm Man growled.

"Huh… Guess that…" He looked doubtful.

"Sheesh! Forget about the pride thing, Napalm Man! Please help us get this guy outta the system or when Slur – sama comes back she'll have our necks!" Leon grumbled.

"Good point. Where's Legato at, anyway?"

"Nappin' and snorin'!" Venomous Wolf laughed.

"Maybe he's engrossed in something else and didn't hear of this fuss: this guy must've isolated my PC somehow."

"Yes, I did realize that most of the firewall ports had been shut down and I had to use the Telnet port to get in. Zero told me how odd it was that you weren't sending data outwards or receiving."

"I knew it."

"Bravo, Lestrade – sama~!"

"Please do something about it or I'll go mad!"

"Cosmo Gate~!"

"OI! I said…!"

"Plug Out!"

"Wha!"

Napalm Man began to complain when Cosmo Man executed his Cosmo Gate attack but Leon retrieved him: some planetoids began to fall down but Venomous Wolf simply jumped over them and until he reached the inside of the Cosmo Gate and grinned.

"X Cut!"

"What! Ugrah!"

"Ya lowered the guard! Mr. Golden Universe~!"

"Oh heck."

Venomous Wolf attacked Cosmo Man and inflicted two attacks with the claws thus forming an x-shaped pattern on Cosmo Man's body: he then jumped out and landed on the ground before looking at Leon's screen and sneering.

"See ya, _ani – ue – sama_~! Beware of mysterious stuff brought forth by Queen – sama~!"

"OI! LEO! LEMME FIGHT!" Napalm Man protested from within the PET at the same time.

"I said NO!"

"Cosmo Buster!"

"Oho. Guess it's time to pull out. Tell Zero that Giratina wants more food or else it's gonna turn gravity around and have him live hanging down from the ceiling! _Au revoir_!"

Venomous Wolf ran out as Cosmo Man shot his small planetoids and made a final joke: there was the sound of a howl followed by a groan and another noise: Zero came in while grumbling and clutching a similar wound on his chest.

"You were taking so long, I came to see…! So that was what was going on, huh? The damned lil rascal!" He grumbled.

"Yeah. I know. I hope the Prince gives them some scolding. I need a shower to fully wake up. And you need to cool it out, Napalm Man, or it won't do us any good." Leon sighed.

"The damned lil rascal! I'm so gonna blow 'em up until they reach the Bahamas! Bring it on, Wolverine punk wannabe!"

"I'll go report to Legato." Cosmo Man grumbled.

"Let's restore the firewall before that."

Zero opened a holographic screen and inputted some commands before sighing.

"I'm going back to my seat."

"Alright."

Both left the system and Zero returned to his seat inside of the super-computer by crossing a tunnel with several security walls (made up of electrical currents) which were activated as he crossed each one: a camouflaged door at the left of the corridor's end opened and he exited inside of the cavernous super-computer: he sat on his seat and sighed as he opened some screens.

"Sheesh! The rascal copied Napalm Man's access codes…! I should tell Napalm Man to be more careful with that… Anyway! Pharaoh Man: status report!"

"Nothing odd in a 500 meter radius from the rear… I have been scanning for any odd flying objects but nothing out of the usual…"

"Good. Shade Man. Where are you at?"

"Helping Dark Man in the kitchen…"

"Alright. Dark Man. All's alright over there?"

"Yes. Is there some problem?"

"No. Burner Man. You there too?"

"_Marchando_! Imagine~ a burnin' potato~… Of course! Cookin' and boilin' stuff as usual!" He chanted.

"Yeah, yeah. Alright, alright. Video Man!"

"_Video Man I'll be back_! I'm putting some order to Lily's PC video library because Tozukana doesn't bother to make up folders to store them: is there any problem?"

"No, not really. Needle Man?"

"Shah, shah, shah! Watching out in the front deck… And training with my favorite dumb dummy!"

"Huff. Alright, alright. Just don't break them, alright?"

"Shah, shah, shah! Roger!"

"Freeze Man? Where are you at?"

"President Hades requested of me to fix some bugs which have popped out in his smart-phone…"

"Fine. Now… Sandra."

"Yeah. I'm not onboard _Purgatory_: I'm at Bertha – chan's place." Sandra reported.

"Tee, heh, heh. A call from an admirer? Sandra." Ikada joked from the real world.

"No. It's Zero."

"The Giratina Fan?"

"Not you too." Zero sighed.

"My bad, cutie~…"

"Sheesh. Remember that you can't come back for another 3 days: President Hades was very clear on that!"

"I know, cutie~…"

"I don't need any adjectives. Keep an eye out, Sandra."

"Of course. Cha, cha behave."

"Oh my. The kitty bites?"

"Sheesh."

"That gal…" Zero grumbled.

He switched off that line and another screen popped up displaying Legato: he seemed concerned.

"Cosmo Man told me Venomous Wolf got in! Why didn't anyone else react to that?"

"The PC was isolated."

"Sheesh. That guy…!"

"Can't we take some measures to prevent another intrusion like that, Zero?" _Noir_ asked.

"We'll have to change Napalm Man's access codes. But it won't do much if they get copied again. Maybe some kind of scanner system to tell any fakes from the original…" He suggested.

"Alright. I'll contact the Prince: the lil rascal needs a lesson!"

"Next is… Tom. You in the VR simulator?" Zero asked.

"Not really. I was in the shooting range, trying to beat my score. Felix said he wanted to have a gym session so…"

"Alright. Keep it up."

"OK." He shrugged.

"Who comes next…? Ah! Yeah. Lily: Video Man is with you, right?"

"Sure thing. Putting some order to this damned mess." Lily sighed in defeat.

"Tozukana is on the simulator, I take it?"

"Battling the computer, I guess."

"Sheesh. When will the gal realize it works by tags?" Zero grumbled out of annoyance.

"Guess never."

"Fine. See you later. Now then… Akemi."

"Hi there. I'm at work."

"… Suzuki – san! I want to declare my never-ending love for you!"

"Takada – kun. Instead of making a fuss over that how about you go back to your duty?" Suzuki sighed.

"Oi! Takada! Masada – san needs ya as her cameraman!"

"Whoa! THE Masada – san? Right away!"

"Meet her on the B2F parking!" Someone commanded.

"Roger!"

"Sorry for the bother, Suzuki – san."

"Don't mind it, _senpai_."

"Alright. I'm going to pull the guy's ears if needed: he shouldn't try to play smart when recording."

"What do you mean?"

"If he's going out with a girl reporter… He always plays around with the zoom… Guess why?" The _senpai_ sighed.

"Sheesh. How childish. How did he make it to cameraman?" Suzuki wondered aloud.

"Dunno. Guess some favor."

"And then they say the DNN is a prideful neat TV station."

"Yeah. Reality says otherwise. We've had similar cases before."

"Oh yeah. Two convicted rough guys who surely knew some big fish's skeletons in the closet and thus they made it here…" Suzuki recalled with some defeatism.

"Welcome to the club."

"Thanks for the support, _senpai_. Whoops. It's already this time? I gotta hurry and apply make-up to both main newscasters. Later!"

"Later."

"And that's what happens." Akemi summed up.

"Well. At least it's not as maddening as in the Net Police Cyber CID."

"Oh yeah! We should be SO glad of it. Truly."

"Fine. See you around."

"See ya."

"Next in the list… Alex. You awake?"

"Yeah. I was about to play basketball with Victor." Alex admitted.

"Alex – sama~! Mary – dono wants to bless thee~!" Atarasei joked in the background.

"Oh yeah? Did you know?"

"Know… What?"

"Boss says his game's team can sweep through yours." Alex seemingly improvised to shake him off.

"Oh yeah? Heh! Bring it on, Boss! I'll beat ya!"

"Sorry for the mess."

"Bah. By now…"

"You've got a point. See ya."

"Next: Victor. Hi there."

"Hi there, Zero. Joel – kun is going over a chemistry article and I'm going to have basketball with Alex."

"I knew. Good luck."

"Thanks."

"By Moran! I'm going to invent the immortality elixir!" Agoras joked.

"How original. You've been reading _The Philosopher's Stone _again."

"Kage and Andy requested not to be contacted so… And I think President Hades actually went out to handle some business with Daikani. Let's get back to work and improve security."

"WHOOSH! I'M SUPER-SPEED PROGRAM!"

"And I think Serenade might've actually overdone when he programmed some of the lil guys here… Oh well."

10:45 AM (Philippines Time)…

"… Eh… Prince?"

"What's up, Umisama?"

"What happened to the trio?"

"I exiled them to the mainland for a week's time."

"They overdid it again?"

"Sure they did. Sieg stole Napalm Man's access codes and snuck into his brother's PC just to annoy him."

"Sheesh."

"By the High One! Am I fated to be a babysitter or WHAT?"

Umisama had come to the throne room to talk with Kuroban who looked like he barely held his annoyance back: Kuroban explained what was going on before fuming and Umisama gulped.

"Anyway. You're dismissed."

"R-roger."

Umisama closed the doors and Kuroban impatiently tapped the right armrest while looking like he was trying to think of something: a communications screen opened and Slur's face showed up.

"Slur. Did something happen with your… fellows?"

"Ah yes. They told me something interesting. To sum it up… Their civilization underwent a large reset and rebuilt itself from scratch: a scout party was in Kyutora recently ago and they had a talk… They agreed that the time for them to come to Earth was not ripe yet." She summed up.

"Why. That's interesting." He looked interested.

"And, anyway, they need 6 years to get back to their colony. If the ones in charge were to send something our way it would take another 6 years to reach us. So in the worst of cases we have 12 years to prepare."

"Hum. I see. Plenty of time… Is "Helios" sure that they can't use hyper-space?"

"The successors can use it for communications but they have yet to find a way to fully exploit it. They have done countless theories and experiments but still lack some equation or factor to send small ships in… How can these successors, who have only been space-faring for about 100 years, do it? It took them over 2 centuries to initially achieve that." She smiled.

"Good points. But then again he seems to think they're not that stupid to repeat their ancestors' mistakes."

"So it would seem. Time shall tell."

"Fine. Is there anything else?"

"They had deduced the truth behind your persona."

"No wonder. Since they were the ones who gave my ancestors the technology to build the "Ultimate Orb"… They surely guessed what it really was about…" He shrugged.

"Well then. I shall be going. I have other businesses to attend to this morning… Let us meet again."

"Fine."

The screen shut down so he sighed and walked out of the room, down the corridor, and into the living room: Umisama and Netsuhonoo were playing _Duel Monsters_; Ernst was reading _The Deathly Hallows_, Kazebun was reading a _Spider Man_ comic and Kisei was drawing something in a notebook while humming a tune.

"Don't mind me. I just need a change of airs."

"Roger."

"By the way, Ernst…"

"Yes, Prince?"

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, sir. Thank you, sir." He politely replied.

"Alright."

"I don't want to feel like I'm being spoiled."

"Good point." Kuroban muttered as if having just realized.

"… Gotcha! Trap Card, Open! "Paying for One's Mistakes"! I inflict 500 Points of Damage per every Monster in your Field! Netsuhonoo!"

"Not so fast! Counter Trap Card! "Seven Tools of the Bandit"! I Pay 1000 Life Points, I Negate the Activation and… Destroy it!"

"Wha~t?"

"Heh, heh, heh. I go down from 6500 to 5500 but compared to the 2500 I would've lost if you'd gotten away with it…"

"Che. I enter my Battle Phase! Go, "Spear Dragon"! Attack that Face-Down Monster over there! And if the Attacking Power overcomes the Defending Power… I can inflict that difference as Direct Damage to the Player!"

"Che!"

Netsuhonoo turned his Monster Card face-up but grinned and Umisama gasped in surprise: it was "Cyber Pod".

"Yeah! I tricked ya! I suffer 1000 Life Points of Damage due to your attack but in exchange… All Monsters in the Field are Destroyed! The 3 I have and the 2 you have! To the Graveyard!"

"Che!"

Both picked their Monster Cards and piled them in their respective Graveyards in Face-Up Position.

"Now! We both pick the top 5 Cards from our Deck and reveal them to each other. All Level 4 or below Monsters must be Special Summoned into the Field in either Face-Up Attack Position or Face-Down Defense Position."

"Fine~! Have a look!"

"Let's see, let's see… "Emerald Dragon", "Z Metal Caterpillar", "Raise Dead", "Greedy Pot" and "Big Shield Gardna"… You must Special Summon the "Z Metal Caterpillar"…"

"What about yours? Hum! "Attack Nullification", "Kaiser Glider", "Retrained Elf Swordsman", "Angel's Charity" and "Drillago"…"

"Yessir. So! I Special Summon "Drillago" in Attack Position! And I Special Summon "Retrained Elf Swordsman" as well!"

"Then I Special Summon "Z Metal Caterpillar" in Attack Position! And "Big Shield Gardna" in Face-Down Defense Position!"

"… Heh. Beating that ugly thing with your muscles, Wario? Hurry up or your treasure boxes will fly off!" Ernst chuckled.

"… Well. This attempt at making fan-art outta the Gym Leaders doesn't look that bad…" Kisei muttered.

"Heh! This Vulture guy is SO frail! Go, Parker! Teach this guy that he should stay at the residence!"

"Let's monitor those 3 just in case… Gray! Where are you lot at?"

"Sheesh! We didn't want to abuse of Urateido's mom hospitality so Sieg and I are using the base Styx and Dread Baron used!" Eisei annoyingly replied.

"Keep the little rascal under watch or else…!"

"I know! Man!" He fumed.

"You sometimes don't seem to." Kuroban warned.

"Sheesh. Not like ya are Mr. Absolutely Perfect either!"

"I know that. And I'm conscious of it. But you aren't."

"See, you idiot?" Urateido whispered to Sieg in the meanwhile.

"YOU gave me the idea! I've got it recorded!" Sieg countered.

"Wha~t? You lil Bond wannabe~!" Urateido growled.

"In-fighting next? How childish! Hmpf! Then… Don't drop by here until you've learnt not to in-fight! Ultimatum!"

"O-oi! _Aibou_!"

Kuroban shut down the line: the others (save for Ernst) gulped and looked like they feared to be receiving ends of his anger: Ernst calmly stopped what he was doing and headed for Kuroban's chair.

"Eh… Prince?"

"Hmmm? What's up, Ernst?"

"I found some sneaky hacker neophyte who tried to hack into one of our backup accounts… What should we do?" Ernst calmly explained in a dull and uninterested manner.

"So. A neophyte wants to challenge me." His mood seemed to brighten.

"In essence, sir. Orders?"

"Give them a warning. But don't overdo it either."

"By your orders. I shall tell them that the High One will place a curse on their flesh. Is that alright, sir?"

"Oh yeah. The more you make up the better. And figure out if they have skeletons in the closet or whoever hired them has… That's how we found out about you so…" Kuroban looked amused.

"Roger. I'll report once I'm on the scene."

Ernst calmly walked out while Kuroban chuckled: the others sighed in relief under their breath.

"So. A neophyte, eh? A neophyte it had to be!" He sneered.

"What do we do?" Kisei asked.

"Keep as we were!" Umisama whispered.

"Yeah! We gotta!" Netsuhonoo insisted.

"Man." Kazebun sighed in defeat.

07:33 AM (Sharo Time)…

"… So. Serenade. What's going on there?"

"You are Search Man, right? We never met yet I have heard of you: sometimes in a positive manner others in a negative manner."

"That doesn't matter. So?"

"I am helping Dr. Cossack with his researches. Is that a problem for you or are you simply being paranoid?"

"What became of Barbatos? We heard you had taken custody of them some time ago."

"Forte? Do not get the wrong idea: Forte is no longer the one you knew of or heard of years ago."

"We decide that."

"Oh yes? Do you want to anger the Net Police Cyber CID and the Science Labs next? Laika."

"W-what?"

Search Man had showed up at Dr. Cossack's firewall with a hostile look and behavior to him: Serenade was calm yet he let out some hints of increasing annoyance: when Laika replied in a blunt manner he let out a warning which made Laika gasp.

"This has the approval of Hikari – hakase. And Chief Sorodo of the Net Police… Along with Superintendent Oda…"

"I d-didn't know that! Tell me that earlier!"

"Oh boy." Search Man rolled his eyes.

"What was that, Search Man?"

"Huh! Nothing, sir. I shall return, sir."

"Do so before Uncle comes pull my ears again. After having drunk that cheap vodka the other day his mood became terrible."

"Roger, sir."

Search Man left and Serenade sighed: he then assumed a mistrusting look to his eyes as he looked around.

"Colonel… Cannot you behave properly? Do you need to see paranoia and conspiracies everywhere?"

"Che."

"You cannot hide your signature from me."

"Fine! I was fed up with hiding like a plebeian."

Colonel came out of behind an advertising banner while looking annoyed and followed by Tomahawk Man who was calm.

"To begin with… This is Sharo. Do you have permission to come in? Or did you just "butt in" like you did in the Science Labs years ago?"

"Che."

"Well…" Tomahawk Man began.

"Quiet!" Colonel ordered.

"Fine, fine." He shrugged.

"Colonel. Don't make a fool of yourself." Barrel sighed.

"Oh boy." Dingo sighed in the background.

"Where is Forte?"

"You do not need to know! The one you knew was another one: a persona created from his fear, shock, anger and anxiety! And it grew cruel with time and the nature of the Reverse Internet! Andy and I purged the whole of it out of his body." Serenade scolded.

"It could be…"

"…deceit? You saw his behavior! There is no way he could pretend to be innocent and such! His behavior had no room for that! At all! So stop being paranoid and worry about something else! Terrorists, maybe?"

"Che."

"Or maybe the Middle East?"

"I've got no involvement with overseas operations!"

"Oh yes? Then why are you in_ Sharo_?"

"Che."

"Or… Did Laika and Search Man invite you? Tell me the truth, Tomahawk Man."

"Nope."

"Tomahawk Man!"

"Don't take it out on Tomahawk Man next." Barrel grumbled.

"Colonel? It's me, Thunder Man… We've got trouble here in Detroit and we'd need help!" Thunder Man radioed.

"It's a bunch of radicals affiliated to some biker club!" Raoul added with some annoyance.

"Go there, Colonel! On the double! Or else the Republican press will come make a fool out of us all." Barrel commanded.

"Like I'd let them!"

"… Why do I feel like the timing's too good…?" Tomahawk Man muttered under his breath.

"Oi! Gift horse!" Dingo whispered.

Colonel ran out and Tomahawk Man followed: Serenade sighed and slapped his forehead out of exasperation.

"Colonel… Paranoia and impatience will destroy you one day. That inability to accept things as they are… Plus… What do you gain from revenge? Will the deceased one come back to life? No. You gain nothing and it clouds your judgment."

"… Oho~! Talk 'bout a scary Boss! The Area 2 Boss! Oho~!"

"At least he did not notice any of this MESS."

"I shut down all voice entrance lines." Dr. Cossack whispered.

"Good. And he is absorbed in seeing the game too so…" Serenade whispered back.

"Whoa! Man! How do ya defeat this thing? And it's creepy! _Kage Bunshins_! Naruto will come complain! Oh? Use them to stop the guy's warp ability and then try to capture the guy? Cool." Forte was exclaiming aloud.

"Lord Serenade: I am in shame. Thou honor was being challenged and I did not come to defend it! Please forgive me." Yamato Man suddenly kneeled in front of him.

"Eh… It is of no consequence, Yamato Man."

"I thought that using intelligence I could solve this so…"

"You started the Detroit mess. Good. I shall commend you for coming up with something useful: it exposed a weakness."

"Yes, Lord!"

"But do not forget your duties towards Golden Star either. If Slur commands you something then…"

"I shall obey! Both thy and Slur – sama impose respect! You Excellencies are above the great majority of mortals!"

"I do not need exaggerations, thank you."

"Your will!"

"Do look around and make sure that…!"

"… Puku! Ore Chalk Chips, de puku! 5500 Z per Chip! Super-super-super-CHEAP! De puku!" Bubble Man ran in next.

"Flee!" Yamato Man growled.

"PUKU~! It's the scary _samurai_~! Run for it, puku!"

"Sheesh. What a morning. Lovely, even."

"Hmpf! Plebeians! Stay away from the Lord's domain!"

"No need to get violent, either."

"Roger!"

"Is something the matter? Mr. Serenade."

"Ah. President Hades. And Mr. Daikani… Are you looking for Slur?"

"Yes. We finished our business in the city and I wanted to tell it to her but she had her radio off."

"We thought she may be here."

President Hades opened his communications screen: Daikani could be seen standing behind him.

"She was until a while ago. She left to do some business of her own."

"Oh well. If it's Mademoiselle… She will eventually be back."

"May I invite you to some coffee at my place?" Daikani offered.

"Truly. I'd like to meet your sons too."

"Then let's go."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Daikani. Later, Mr. Serenade and Mr. Yamato Man."

"Good-bye."

"Roger!"

The screen shut down and Serenade smiled.

"She must have gone to talk with "XY" again… Despite her attempts to not go into details… They must have some connection."

"Oh yeah! So that's it! Mario's trapped in a painting! Luigi to the rescue!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Ah… These will become good times, truly."

09:37 AM (Bangkok Time)…

"… XY. Are you there? Ah. Slur. Welcome."

"Ah. Helios. Yes. I was having some talk with XY here… There were some aspects we wanted to go over…"

"I do not complain. When you have wrapped up, XY… I will be at the lab: there are some simulations which need tuning."

"Roger, my Master."

"Helios" stepped into the main plaza of his space-city and found both "XY" and Slur talking to each other while sitting in armchairs: he looked somewhat amused before he headed back into one of the buildings: Slur then seemingly focused again.

"So. Was it that surprising? What I told you."

"That you have come from "another" Time-Space, another "world"? Yes, it was, Slur… Mark II."

"You can skip the Mark II."

"Fair enough. Yes. It was surprising: we had, of course, theorized about it but not to the extent that we thought it would be possible for one to travel between them…" "XY" admitted.

"Yes. I know. I was surprised at first, too. And my "employer" did not seem to care about whom discovered that and how it was implemented: he found some abandoned schematics of a physics laboratory in the Crimea Peninsula during a trip and decided that he could use those… He began to explore other "realities" and once he found one which looked a lot like the one he lived in… He moved there and decided that he would change the flow of upcoming events…" Slur narrated.

"Hmmm… Maybe the "local" Creators' history flowed differently in some manner… Maybe the colonies did not go through the reset. Or maybe they rose again earlier."

"The space-cities existed, though. At least one of them did."

"But you say that the records proved that it had arrived _millions of years_ before the current era."

"Yes. The imagery displayed it landing in a mountain valley and there were some dinosaurs around. It is the biggest hint."

"Yet they were completely extinct by the time the space-city was discovered…"

"Correct. None of them attempted an experiment like that of your Master and some of them were seemingly bound to their owners' lives. You do look like the one in the records. Did you have a common mold or design, by the way?"

"Yes. But there always was something different with our data: and our link with our owners would tell us apart too…"

"There is something I have been wondering… You have emotions. Yet: do you have what humans name "love"?"

"I have been wondering myself for a long time. But I think not. Remember: our folk had become too artificial. They had sacrificed many emotions in exchange for greater life-spans, strength and wisdom. Research absorbed them. Yet Master Helios broke away from the rule. He met many humans along our trips yet… I do not think he truly found something like "love" until we took care of Rock Man." "XY" explained.

"I see. Love towards a child… That is very natural. I think that humans should be thankful that they have not lost all of them yet… Some humans say they are deprived of emotions… Maybe it is a warning of what can happen when humans think of them as a nuisance… Maybe that is what led your folk to abandon them…"

"Yes. I had reached that same conclusion myself as well."

"But we seem to be diverting from the earlier thread. I think that the "local" Creators somehow left documentation scattered across the world and which might have ended up in various humans' hands… And, eventually, they would be found out by my "employer"… Yet maybe he did not realize their nature."

"The scout party encounter… That made me remember something… There had been the idea of creating a large-scaled mother-ship with several child-ships… The mother-ship would be lead and piloted by two high-rank Net Navis… And the child-ships would have a functional Navi of a level similar to mine… They would find Network civilizations and drop a child-ship there which would then proceed to study the evolution and progress of that Network."

"I see. But it did not make it past the drawing boards?" Slur looked rather interested.

"No. The Duo Incident put it into hold."

"And the successors do not have the technology to build such a massive craft as of yet."

"So it would seem. Then again they might fear it might go out of control too and never build it."

"It could be. So. What will you do with your pawns?"

"Ah yes. I shall keep them in cold sleep for a while. Maybe once the summer season is over I shall "thaw" them… And have them train again as well… Speaking of training… Maybe you would like to be introduced to some interesting characters?"

"Oh?"

"Come."

"Master."

"Ah! They are…"

"Pharaoh Man's warriors… I have renamed them and told them to keep this form… Red Warrior, Green Warrior, Yellow Warrior and Blue Warrior: calling them by their styles felt a bit cold, even."

The "4 Ultimate Warriors" who had served Pharaoh Man years ago had come in and bowed forward to show respect.

"Interesting."

"Ah. Lady Slur. Lord XY has told us about thee." Red Warrior admitted with some curiosity.

"Is Rock Man doing fine, Lady Slur?" Blue Warrior asked.

"Oh yes. He is still active from time to time."

"That is good to know. He was an honest adversary." Green Warrior looked animated.

"Lord XY: we will be able to meet him one day?" Yellow Warrior asked of him.

"Of course. Soon enough I think… But before that… It would be preferable if you trained and improved your abilities… And your team-work as well: personal glory is forbidden."

"Roger, our Lord. We shall meet again, Lady Slur."

"Yes. We shall. It shall be entertaining."

The 4 Warriors left while chatting amongst them: Slur looked amused and "XY" merely shrugged his shoulders.

"As for "our" Pharaoh Man… I left him in charge of directing the repair and maintenance crews… Some spots need some long-postponed maintenance because we did not have enough staff." "XY" admitted while looking further in.

"No wonder."

"Well then. Should we wrap up? I would not like to keep Master waiting if he is about to finish an experiment."

"Fair enough. I like coming here because I have found someone with enough intelligence to understand the full complexity of what I have gone through… I am not saying Kuroban does not have the intelligence: but you pick my interest… As a copy of Slur… I want to know more of what led your folk to create her…"

"Indeed. We can always meet in the underground lab: these pawns have no idea it exists to begin with."

"Excellent. Good-bye."

"Good-bye, Slur."

Slur opened her "portal" and exited the space-city like that while "XY" headed up the stairs and entered the cubicle from which he directed the all-staff meeting: he descended into the underground lab and found "Helios" apparently absorbed with some experiment simulation which showed a red dot travelling between two white spots and some calculations.

"This simulation: I try to compute how much energy it would be needed to plunge a mass of 300 tons into "hyper-space" but it gets stuck half-way through for some reason. The standard ship was about 100 tons heavy."

"I guess I need to upgrade the calculation top: it cannot be set to infinite or it will run on forever, consuming too much processing power… Allow me, my Master… Hum… Like this… And this… Then this…"

"XY" began to interact with some settings and menus before the simulation resumed and some glyphs popped out.

"I see. I would need a Class 5 fusion engine at 85% power… And the remaining 15% should be allocated to the life-support and navigation systems… Hmmm… And in theory it should be able to withstand for a maximum of 37 hours…" "Helios" read the results aloud.

"I see." "XY" looked interested.

"It is possible, on theory, yet… There are some factors which must be taken into account and could make a difference…" "Helios" rubbed his chin and looked thoughtful.

"Oh well. Then… More research shall be necessary yet that is one step forward to allowing bigger ships to use hyper-space."

"My point exactly."

"We have more than enough time to work on this."

"Indeed, Master. Until the next "season" begins… It shall be interesting."

14:34 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hi there~! My cherry folk enchanted by Uncle Merton!"

"Oh no!"

"Enzan – sama… What do we do?"

"Oh shit."

"I'll excuse that, Punk."

"What's with the ruckus? Oh no!"

"Obihiro – kun? Is there some problem? Oh no!"

Enzan had been talking with Meijin when Superintendent Oda came in: Blues sighed and Punk cursed: Obihiro came in, gasping, followed by Yuuichirou.

"And then I told Uncle Evil that Uncle Good will beat him over and over and over AGAIN!"

"How original." Everyone grumbled.

Oda's Samsung smart-phone rang and a chuckle rang out.

"Who's there?"

"The newest lackey!"

"Lackey? Of whom?"

"Of my ego!"

"How original." He didn't seem to find it funny, for once.

"I'm an imp! A Stalkid!"

"Hmmm…" Obihiro seemed to be harboring a hunch.

"I know there's a silver-haired beauty there…"

"Beauty? Me?" He blushed.

"Yessir. Wanna come with me to the disco and have some dry martinis?"

"D-dry martinis? I'm not even 15!"

"Sieg?" Oda tried asking.

"Maybe so, Inspector Megure."

"Me? Inspector Megure? Oh come on."

"My. I killed the mood, even."

"And you expected that?" Enzan tried asking.

"Ah. Hound of Densan-ville – sama. What honor, truly."

"Sheesh."

"Hit a vibe? So! Blues. Did you go meet your buddy Saxo?"

"Saxo? Oh come on." Blues grumbled.

"Who – are – you?" Meijin questioned.

"Your long – lost cousin! Jinmei – amas!"

"Oh come on! I feel some weird _déjà vu_ by now."

"Show ya hide!"

"Show me your girlfriend, Panka!"

"P-Panka~? It's STUPID!" Punk groaned.

"ID yourself." Yuuichirou tried challenging.

"Oh? A stray soul?"

"Stray soul? Me? Who do you think you are?"

"Miyuki – sama's cousin!"

"Miyuki? I think I've heard the name before." Oda frowned.

"Eh… A search in our archives says that she owns a Net Navi named Skull Man and that Rock Man fought him once before he began to explore the Reverse Internet… Before the first encounter with Forte…" Obihiro typed into his notebook computer and read it up.

"Bravo, beauty – sama~!"

"Stop calling me like that! It makes me feel embarrassed! Why don't you go elsewhere?"

"To the Throne of the King Upon The Hill: Ooyama – sama~!"

"Not Ooyama again."

"Would you prefer Mistress Ayanokouji~? Ijuuin?"

"And not Ayanokouji either!"

"Heh, heh, heh. The duet of despair and hopelessness!"

"How brilliant." Oda fumed.

"Who are ya?" Punk demanded again.

"Someone and no – one!"

"I've got the hunch we know of you." Obihiro looked mistrusting.

"Of course. We had some rounds at the disco last weekend, didn't we, beauty – sama~? And at your place too~! I know it! That ya got a Greek fellow as a flat-mate~!"

Obihiro gasped and blushed: Enzan looked about to explode from built up annoyance along with Blues while the others didn't seem to catch the point of the announcement.

"Beware! Magic Card, Black Hole! All Monsters on the Field are gonna be Destroyed! Starting by Punk!"

"W-wha~t? I'm a monster, ya say~? This rascal!"

"Come out of a disco!"

"Sheesh. I dunno what the hell a disco is about anyway."

"Oho. Meijin! Ya never went to any in your college years?"

"If I had no need to then why should I go? Not all college students like to go to the disco to begin with."

"Maybe we need to bring out our excellent Oosaka hound, Hattori – sama, to figure out my true colors? I might be a pal of Bourbon! And snicker at ya from afar!"

"A pal of Bourbon? Oh come on."

"Chut." Blues suddenly told them.

They all remained quiet and they could now pick some very faint chuckling and giggling in the background belonging to several voices.

"You're not alone! Who are ya?" Punk demanded.

"Oho. The 4 Fallen Demons!"

"4 Fallen Demons?" Yuuichirou frowned.

"You've improved it."

"Bravo, beauty – sama~… I'll come polish your hairstyle!"

"Ah no! Nobody messes with MY hairstyle!"

"Except your hairdresser?"

"Sheesh."

"It must be a hard city to open up a hairdresser business: none around here ever have their hair cut!"

"I do! Once a month! But just a bit so that it doesn't grow too long or gets too messy!" Obihiro replied.

"My. What a lovely confession."

"L-lovely confession? Oh come on!"

"Four of them… Troll… Sheesh." Enzan suddenly realized.

"Sieg, Eisei and Urateido!" Blues growled.

"Oh man! I told you to keep the PET away from us!" Urateido laughed despite having been exposed.

"It doesn't matter: we'd been found out anyway." Eisei laughed.

"As expected of the guy~!" Sieg laughed next.

"So! Who are you?" Obihiro demanded yet again.

"Yanada Bruce! Samuel's lil cousin!"

"Oh devil. There's another troll in town?" Enzan growled.

"Too bad, Hound of Densan – ville~!" Eisei laughed.

"Next time… I'll defeat you!" Blues challenged.

"I'll be waiting for it! And this time around let's brawl in the _Final Destination_, shall we~? Heh, heh, heh. _Laugh and sweat up!_ My new version of _laugh and grow fat_! But the latter should go to Emperor Ooyama He Who Fell From The Throne Due To A Ghostly Hand! Courtesy of my Denpa – Henkan form, that is!"

"That was SO ridiculous…" Yuuichirou sighed.

"I know. Netto – kun told me." Obihiro sighed too.

"If you're done with the meddling around…!" Oda grumbled.

"Oho. Uncle Moriarty bets 500 Z that the newest recruit of the Cyber CID has ghost-phobia."

Oda abruptly cut the call as if he was fed up with it and fumed: he headed for a window and opened it up to allow some air inside and sighed.

"And then they say my humor is maddening." He muttered.

"Hmpf. Plebeians…" Blues muttered next.

"I'll beat them and give them a lesson." Enzan announced.

"Yeah, yeah! Beat 'em up!" Punk encouraged.

"They're asking for it, anyway!" Meijin sighed.

"Youth nowadays…" Yuuichirou scolded.

"They never learn." Oda grumbled.

The group sighed in defeat and mumbled under their breaths…

17:27 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hey! Netto – kun. Saito – kun."

"Hikawa – kun! Hi there."

"You alright?"

"Yep. What's the latest gossip?"

"Well, that's…"

"I'm back! The King Upon The Jungle Gym! Ta – dan!"

"Oh no."

Hikawa met up with Netto and Saito in the park as they'd been chatting while sitting on a bench: he sat next to them but before they could begin to chat Dekao suddenly appeared atop the jungle gym wearing a green table-cloth as improvised cape, sunglasses, and a simplistic blue necktie as improvised bandana: he'd also printed the message "King Upon The Jungle Gym" and glued it with tape into his shirt.

"Bow before the King Upon The Jungle Gym!"

"Dekao! Get down to Earth!" Netto grumbled.

"Do something USEFUL!" Saito scolded.

"Yeah! Instead of trying to imitate _The Hobbit_! We know that the 1st film will be in cinemas this December but…"

"Silence! You must bow before the King Upon The Jungle Gym! Who will marry Meiru – chan!"

"I happen to disagree! Eat this!"

"Wha?"

PLOP! SPLASH!

"Atchoo~!"

"Got the lesson, Ookarada?"

"Wha! Meiru – chan!"

"There's more! Eat this! And these! And this one!"

Meiru had happened to show up from behind him and carrying a bag with balloons filled with water which she threw at his face to splash it with water along with some of the shirt: she began to throw more at him and he began to dance to try to dodge them only to fall down into the sand: Meiru loomed over him with a totally pissed off look.

"I'm FED UP with your SOAP OPERAS! GOTCHA? OOKARADA! YA NEVER TOY WITH A GIRL'S PRIDE~!" She exploded.

"Wha-wha-wha~h!" He gasped.

"I've got more! Here!"

She suddenly drew from a red backpack she carried a water-gun and sprayed his face with water: the 3 guys looked on, baffled, and they heard a gasp so they turned to see Yaito there who looked terrified at what was going on.

"A-are ya sure that's Meiru – chan?"

"Of course she is." Roll replied as she projected from the PET.

"Guts, guts? Today is hot, de guts? Water to cool, de guts?" Guts Man seemingly guessed.

"I knew it would end up badly." Glyde sighed.

"Desu?" Ice Man wondered.

"Not enough? Have this and this and THIS!"

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

"Uwa~h!"

She began to slap his cheeks next before she pulled his nose and then fumed before picking up the water-gun and storing it again on the backpack and heading for the others: she put on a couple of sunglasses too as if wanting to hide her glare.

"Go home and cry: like the bully you are."

"Uwa~h!"

Dekao ran off at a mad speed and the others were obviously surprised with how things turned out.

"Sorry. I've been holding it up FOR MONTHS. I had to let it out or it'd turned the remainder of the summer sour."

"W-well. Yeah. Someone had to give the guy a lesson." Netto timidly commented.

"I totally approve." Saito was firm with his reply.

"Someone had to make the guy descend to Earth." Hikawa energetically nodded.

"So. Yaito – chan. Do you wish for the special treatment too? Or was this demonstration sufficient for ya?"

"N-no need to, thank you very much!" She was pale by now.

"Let us hope so. By the way, Yaito – sama…"

"YAITO!"

"Yikes! Papa!"

"You left the homework half-done AGAIN!"

"T-that's… Eh… I needed a break!"

"You'll get them when you finish it in a proper manner! Now let's moving back home: it's getting embarrassing to have to come to fetch you as if you still were an elementary 1st grader!"

Mr. Ayanokouji showed up next with obvious annoyance and Yaito gasped in fear: he signaled a discrete blue Subaru parked nearby and Yaito hung her head down as she headed there.

"I'm sorry for the mess."

"Don't worry, sir. We're used to it, sir." Meiru politely replied.

"If only she wasn't so carefree…! What'll happen to Gabcom at this rate, anyway? I'll have to hire someone to take care of the business and I don't know what Yaito will be able to do!"

He exasperatedly sighed and climbed into the car to drive away: Meiru and the 3 guys sighed in exasperation.

"First it was "XY" and the tension… And now the only threat to our summer is that troll quartet and those 2… We'll have to do something about it or we'll feel like we've had a wasted summer by the time we begin high school in September!" Netto groaned.

"Totally. This isn't life."

"Why do I feel like the passage of the years has only accentuated their annoying traits, anyway?" Hikawa wondered.

"Welcome to the club." Meiru sighed.

"Desu?"

"Don't worry, Ice Man. You aren't to blame. It's just Guts Man and the guy's ape-brain." Roll told Ice Man.

"Guess that, desu."

"Why don't we go to the hills and have some fresh air? It might help vent off this foul air." Netto suggested.

"Alright. Why not?" Saito looked animated at the idea.

"What do you think, Sakurai – san?"

"Fine for me. Right, Roll?"

"Yeah. We've got time and we want to enjoy outdoors so…"

"Desu! To the hills! Desu!"

The group headed out of the park and up an avenue until they reached the foothills: they climbed up through a winding path and then reached a plain path spanning all the width of the hill and with a neat panoramic view of Akihara City.

"Well. It sure vents off the foul mood." Meiru commented.

"It's cleanser too." Netto inhaled.

"Cleanser than Mr. Clean?" Hikawa tried to break the ice.

"Why not?" Saito shrugged.

"Or Ms. Clean." Meiru grinned.

"Desu! Clean Ice!" Ice Man improvised.

"Clean Fragrance." Roll improvised next.

"The Clean League." Netto laughed.

The others laughed as they sat on the grass of the hill and looked out at their city.

"Alright! We gotta make sure that we really enjoy the rest of this summer and we feel recharged to face high school in September!" Netto encouraged the group.

"Maybe there'll be competency. It'll be interesting." Meiru grinned and looked amused.

"But let's not overdo it, either. Shall we?" Saito warned.

"Of course not. Let's try to get along with everyone." Hikawa added.

"Desu! Ice Man will make friends!"

"Competency? Let them come! I'll send them away!" Roll giggled.

"It's decided! Enjoying the Akihara Summer Campaign has begun!"

"YEAH!"

"And also… Ignoring the Trolls Campaign!"

"YEAH!"

The group laughed in a cherry way as the breeze blew past them.

**THE END**


End file.
